Between two suns
by gad-eshu'a
Summary: The story of Far from home continues in Between two suns as our bonded pair travel alongside Sarek and Amanda with friends on the Golian to Vulcan. As they receive a mixed welcome, things get tense and bloody back on Earth. Will Nyota, Spock and the others make it back in time to save the others from war and betrayal or struggle to save themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Sarek went to address his family, clutching Amanda's fingers with his own as soon as he came near. At his touch she broke her attention away from the new Vulcans and up towards his face.

With their arrival was a reminder of him being something other from a land beyond. The awestruck amazement rushed up his hand into his arm.

" Holy cow." she breathed quietly.

What a divine bovine had to do with that moment was beyond Sarek. He just blinked at her as his reply. " I...greatly desire to go but I do not want-will not go without you all."

Amanda nodded and gave his fingers a tight squeeze. " Of course darling, I'll go with you."

He glanced over to his son and new daughter, eagerly awaiting their reply. He knew what he asked of them, how unjust it was to unroot them again but _he needed_ them. The separation that he felt from T'Rea and their young son, Sybok as he lingered here on Earth had been costic.

Year after year the bonds between them faded as they were left unused and aching. To dull the pain he spent his time finding a way to survive to serve the many Vulcans here. With that sacrifice came many changes and for better or for worse Sarek was not the same Vulcan.

With the opportunity to go back Sarek held it like a wish made manifest. The statistical likelihood of a rescue after all this time had been depressingly low and yet here they were. He could go back, he could take his Amanda with him and reconnect with his home. The thought of warm, dry air welcoming him home made his chest ache in happiness as much as it sobered him.

Spock and his young bride had made plans that would cement them here but could not bear the thought of being without them. His son after so many years of disdain was finally returning to him. And his Nyota was like the daughter nature never granted them.

There was also his grandchildren to take into account. Sybok may have some by now and Spock, as adamant as he had been, would soon have Nyota with child as well. He wanted to be present for all of them.

No more forsaking his family, it was time to put them first. " You would not have to stay and reside on Vulcan but I would be deeply gratified to have you all accompany me and your _ko-mehk_."

Spock's eyes searched Nyota's as they held hands and silently exchanged their words. Sarek waited politely, hoping his passivity would help to ensure their place by his side. After a moment Spock's eyes fluttered and mildly met his.

" We will join you _Sa-mehk_ , if only for a time." Spock replied.

Sarek exhaled in relief and nodded his pleasure at their agreement. " It is settled."

With his family's permission secured the council elder went back to the small landing party and spoke to them at length.

The crew had received the transmission of his journal logs just a few days before but they had nearly caught up to current events.

As the survey ship relayed the logs back to Vulcan the planet had been swept away by the tale of his father's crew. It was like a legend from pre enlightenment brought to life. Heros and heroines could now be met face to face, questioned as to motivation or judged for their miscalculations.

It seemed that the survivor style story of his life had made Sarek somewhat of a household name back on his homeworld, a Vulcan lost to his land and having to rough it in a strange, foreign terrain using his brains and his brawn with an alien wife. Said alien bondmate, Amanda was a celebrity of her own merit in his passages. The logs in which he penned about her were considered a bit scandalous by the romanticism they contained but had the masses equally enthralled with her.

The appeal of the humans, a people that were no strangers to logic but able to function with the expression of their emotions gave the Vulcan V'tosh a mixed reaction. All the behaviors Vulcans considered taboo from smiling to a disgusted frown were a normal, frequent function of human nature.

The council was very much looking forward to having him, his family and the others come to join him which gave Sarek pause. Would they still be so if he hadn't written down their lives? Was it their story or them that they were eagerly awaiting?

He would not know until he went and saw things for himself.

Sarek made an infinitesimal frown and dimly pushed away the thought away. It would do him no go to ponder over it. Glancing around at the gathering masses he did a quick mental headcount the compound's and mara's community. While the Suurok class vessel hovering above them could no doubt harbor all of their people, not all would or should want to go.

There were those who were heavily pregnant that could give birth any day now. T'Kaas would want them to stay put so she could ensure the infant's bond to their parents and the land was securely in place.

Rovoc and his lot had yet to be dealt with as a whole and the root of that evil burrowed out. There were also the adolescents among them that were still out in the mara mastering their emotions and securing their bondmates.

There were too many variables to account for to collect and transplant them all. Some would have to stay for a time until they had given birth, bonded and addressed all their affairs here on Terra. Perhaps just the crew and their immediate family then?

Sarek returned his attention back to the Vulcaness commander that had spoken to him earlier and posed a question. " Query. Our community has been self sustaining for quite some time without the immediate thought of being... _rescued_."

Even as he said it the word felt wrong. He wasn't being rescued moreso returned. Earth was just as much his home now as Vulcan but it wasn't until now that he could actually reflect on the notion in truth.

She nodded, coaxing him on.

Smoothing his hands together he relaxed his posture a bit. " There are many among us that would not be prime for travel at this time, those with child, those handling their times…"

She closed her eyes with a deep nod of understanding for which he was grateful. He did not want to elaborate any further.

" We read in your logs there is a council among you. This one would recommend reconvening with them. Once adjourned let either me or our crew know which of you would like passage back to Vulcan. Our shuttle will stay grounded here but our ship above need to relocate."

Sarek rolled his shoulders and straightened. " We still have not made any official first contact with the humans?"

The Vulcaness shook her head and smiled with her eyes. " You and your crew are the first in a sense. Formally we have yet to approve of a planet wide contact but have reached out to individuals during our case studies of human behavior. I will leave you to your business. You will find me, T'Nar and the rest of our away crew here in our shuttle when you need us. We need to report back to our Captain and the high council."

" Of course. Live long and prosper, T'Nar."

The commander looked momentarily distracted as she peered around him. She was probably curious as to the business they had with the young adult standing beside T'sai Odva. " Peace and long life, S'haile."

Sarek wanted until she rejoined her crew in the shuttle before turning to face a weary eyed Odva and cowering Rovoc. She gave him a level stare as the shuttle bay hissed closed. " You know what must be done."

Of course, he had not forgotten. Blinking over at Ralek and Oratt Sarek summoned them both. " Hold him."

They came forward and started to gather the stupefied herdsman as Sarek fastened the drooping bell of his sleeves to his forearm. He did not relish subjecting himself to such activities anymore if he had ever enjoyed dispensing such cruelty but he was the most qualified for performing such rites.

Ulihar sulked minutely off to the side, clearly feeling burned of Sarek's choice in guard. It was no secret that his son's bond brother was devoted to his work as much as he was to his bondmate. He would assuage him later. Just as the sentry had stated earlier, he had not meditated fully and helping him in this task would over further tax his mental faulties. " Lift him up."

Rovoc's head lolled back and forth on his shoulders with a drooling grin. Like an inebriated human his mouth stretched in an exaggerated fashion as he fought against the psionic blockers Sarek had set along his spine. " You're not _safe_ , _S'haile_. You may think you're safe on Vulcan but the others will follow you until the S'chn T'gai's of Terra are no more…your spawn and your human whores..." he whispered hoarsely. " Even if you leave we'll find a way…"

Behind him Spock huffed and Ulihar growled in his throat. Sarek held up a hand to silence them both and eyed the youth with a feeling akin to pity. He had not received enough discipline as a child, it was clear for him to see. Vulcan emotion and temperament had to be schooled into passivity less they become a monstrosity like the male before him.

His behavior and actions however were unforgivable but it was not for him to judge now. He did not know the ka'tra of this Vulcan only that he was being used to the gain of others and had used others to his gain, innocent, weaker humans.

" I welcome the opportunity to do away with these others as well." he replied, taking Rovoc's head in hand by his jaw. " They may try and cross us again but I assure you it will be to their detriment…"

Twisting his fingers beneath his jaw, Sarek set his fingers against psi points and seized his mind. A strangled noise choked out of Rovoc's craw as Sarek's energy burned through his mind. Oratt and Ralek tightened their grip as the male tremored in their hold. For their sake he would tame his psionic force and complete his task as swiftly as he could to shield them from the effects.

Sarek tilted his head with a look of indifference as he ripped at his mind in search of his crimes. Rovoc fought him ineffectually as he tore through his thoughts, cursing the elder as he delved deeper.

 _There_...there was the disgusting filth. There were the soft, screaming bodies of those who were not marked. And there were the exultant snarls of supremacy of the males who took them. Beasts. Savages. _V'tosh ka'tur_ ( Vulcans without logic).

Bile rose along his throat as he suppressed the urge to kill the youth outright. Ulihar's failure to compose himself made logical sense now as Sarek felt long hidden emotions boil up along his veins. _Fnu-ven_ (Malice). _Reshan_ (Enmity). _Kin-krer_ (Scorn). _Yonalik thrap-tor_ (Malevolence).

It disgusted him to witness their offenses, to feel it as almost his own. The faces of the Vulcans forcing themselves onto the helpless humans were blurred, the voices contorted but the crying faces of the wailing humans were clear as water. He was not prepared for how much it would enrage him. Beside him the guards grunted as his anger radiated off of Rovoc and into their hands.

Sarek mentally glared at the scene and bent the memory to his will. No longer would it be Rovoc's pleasure to recall it but his pain. The high lord erased the herdsman's emotions and filled the void with that of the human females. The residual fear, shame, pain flooded the smaller male, crippling him into a sobbing mass of limbs. " NO! No no no! _S'haile_ NO!" but Sarek did not stop there.

Twisting his fingers once more Sarek continued to contort the memories with Rovoc's face in place of the females and his voice screaming in horror as his clansman shared him amongst themselves. " Release me! No, please! Curse you Sarek! I curse your name! I curse your son and his son to come! Nooo!"

Sarek ignored his ranting and pulled his free hand back behind him. Tilting the herdsman's head again he launched the hand forward, digging his fingers into key psi points along his chest. The guardsmen were watching his movements intently but he knew they would not be able to replicate it. His finger placement was simple enough but the energy Sarek employed was unique and took him years to master.

Muscle and mental memory guided his movements as Sarek syphoned off the crook's strength and muted his vision. Rovoc howled and bucked weakly against the guardsmen as his strength left him and the surrounding view blurred into a hazy of light and dark.

Vaguely Sarek heard Nyota's clear voice ring softly in mild alarm. He had not wanted her to see or wanted her to know that he could do such things. Amanda seen him differently after he had performed a such a rite, feared him even more than she had during his time but he would just as soon turn his body against himself before he ever harmed them.

Working fast to free himself of touching the wretched creature Sarek reached down along base of his skull, tapping into his cerebellum. Once there he gathered Rovoc's bonds in hand, scraping the links down to their base line, leaving only the slightest hint of connection between Rovoc and his brethren. Rovoc was silent now as his sallow skin took on a pale pallor. Oratt's eyebrows were tightly knotted while Ralek had his eye shut against the pain of holding Rovoc. There's was not an easy task either but it could be meditated away. Sarek took a muted pleasure in at least shielding them from his demented memories of raping the unnamed humans.

The _S'haile_ at last withdrew the hand at Rovoc's chest and began the process of disentangling his mind from his. He would have to keep some of Rovoc's mind intact for whenever his sentence was amended and formalized but as it stood Sarek thought it should stay in place.

Withdrawing from his mind, Sarek attended to his sleeves while ignoring the eyes of everyone in the surrounding area that were fastened on him. There were still those who had yet to witness his talents and more still that had forgotten them. The display had unsettled both parties.

" Hand Rovoc over to T'Kaas. He will serve the temple until the council rules the full extent of his punishment."

The guardsmen nodded, their eyes full of awe and fear as they dragged the silent Vulcan away towards the temple. Ulihar came forward with his head bowed in deference and Sarek acknowledged the sentry with a nod of his head and his mask hanging behind his back.

" My apologies again, _S'haile_ , for my coarseness. I still have a while yet until my control is as masterful as yours. What I saw...I did not have strength enough to suppress the emotions they invoked."

Sarek shook his head and put his hands at his side. " No offense was taken, your apology is not needed. I saw some of what was in his mind and what little I did taxed even my control. He...is _tekerik_ (deviant)."

Ulihar nodded gently and rubbed his hand. Sarek watched the guard attend to his hand and slowly held out his own in an offer to meld. Ulihar's face flushed with surprise but he stepped closer and turned his head. Centering himself Sarek smoothed over the irritation Rovoc left behind within the sentry. Ulihar sighed as Sarek carefully cleared away the mental debris and meekly let his gratitude flow across the elder.

The visions of violence against his son and daughter as well as the memories of the abuse against the local nations' women wounded the sentry. He had not guarded his mind as he seized Rovoc and the mental onslaught had nearly provoked him to do the unthinkable. Sarek shushed away his shame about his _a'rie'mnu_ ( passions' control- control over one's emotions) and soothed his guilt at not protecting the women.

/ Neither you or the other guardians knew of it. It is not your guilt to have. We will see to justice for the females and putting an end to this revolt for the old ways./

Gently Sarek withdrew his mind and hand and waited for Ulihar to compose himself. " I want you by my son's side when he joins me on Vulcan."

" Truly?" Ulihar asked, sliding his hand along his bracers.

Sarek adjusted the lapel of his robe and blinked over at him. " Unless you or your mate are unfit for travel?"

" No, we would be honored to go but I did not think the honor would be _ours_. We are not so high in the K'goah clan."

" Your station does not concern me so much as your trustworthiness. You are my son's brother by bond and have shown me your loyalty time and time again. Those truths coupled with an inspection of your mind assure me that you are someone I can trust with my family. I have no doubt that others from the house of K'goah will seek a seat on the voyage back to Vulcan but aside from your parents, your one female cousin T'izh and your brother K'ai I do not think the rest of your house has our clan's best interests in mind."

Ulihar folded his fingers into the ta'al against his side and sighed. " I swear to you _S'haile_ all that you have said is true and sound."

Sarek exhaled lightly, unhappy with the confirmation of his assessment. The house of K'goah was divided but some in his favor. He did not want to have Ulihar in a position where he would be disowned or threatened by his kin but neither did he care to leave him so lingering near those who would do them harm. " Spock. _T'kofu_. Come to me."

Spock and his daughter in law came hurriedly to his side and waited for his word. He ignored the pain he felt at Nyota's worried face biting at her lip. He had scared her. Sarek brushed away the tinge of shame and focused on Spock instead.

" Spock ask Ulihar to accompany you. Your wives will want to spend time together and Ulihar will oversee your security."

Spock did as he was told, no doubt onto what his father meant by having him say these things. Vulcan out of habit and logic did not lie. It was too simple to glean the truth from a touch of one's mind but unless one gained permission to do so the truth may remain hidden. If anyone were to search their minds they would know and see that Spock had asked after his bond brother's company and that the sentry agreed and offered protection as well.

" With that settled pack your whatever items you wish to bring and escort your wives to the shuttle. I will meet with the council and put the rest of our affairs in order."

" Are you going to bring Oratt or Ralek as well?" Spock asked, holding fast to Nyota's hand.

Sarek shook his head and motioned towards the gate. " Oratt and his house will take our place on the council and Odva was take my seat as chairman. Ralek I will oversee Oratt's place as Captain of the guard and K'ai will replace his brother within the sentries. The actions Rovoc and those under him have hurt our relations with the local population here and I would not want them catching us unawares. Retribution must be made but we have to deescalate the situation from a possible war into a trial."

" Of course." Spock nodded, looking a bit dismayed at the notion of war. None wanted it except for whatever crazed community Rovoc was apart of and possibly any humans privy to their exploits. No doubt the herdsmen played the humans to their own interest, provoking the rest of the Terra V'tosh into arms to defend themselves with the possibility of hegemony over the land. The consequences of such actions were not any that Sarek cared to calculate.

" Kibibi and I will meet you shortly after our goodbyes and packing are completed. Thank you, _S'haile_ Sarek."

" It was nothing at all." he replied in truth. " Nothing I wouldn't have done for my own son."

Ulihar and Spock departed with their bondmates in tow and Sarek left his to attend to their luggage as he set off for the council. He cleared his mind of the past few minutes and set his intentions on the journey ahead of them.

The council meeting went as expected. Lord Kal Yonulsu made a point of rebuffing him at every turn especially when he offered his headship of the council to Lady T'Pre Odva.

" Her house is nowhere near as grand as clans K'goah or I'gck J'aal, let alone my own. Why would you-"

" Her house represents a larger population here in the compound and her judgement has been sound over all our proceedings. As for Oratt R'tch, his time as Captain of the sentry guard has been superb in the efficiency of our protection."

" He certainly did a poor job of _protecting_ your _son_ and his human." Yonulsu quipped.

Sarek looked as neutral as he could manage and spread his hands out palm up before him. " No one is truly safe at all times, it would be illogical to think otherwise. That Oratt did not know the Maasai were hunting their kinswoman would not lower my estimation of his capabilities. That he and his troop knew something was afoot shortly thereafter and retrieved my family however heightens my esteem for his dedication and thoroughness."

" If you believe him to be so proficient at his vocation perhaps the council should keep him stationed there?" Lord V'las K'goah suggested.

Sarek inhaled softly and narrowed his eyes. " As many high family as we have represented here at the compound we have only one minor house on the council. It is only just that we fill the vacancies with the new majority, which are the common houses."

" I second your logic. We need to be united now more than ever with families being divided with travel and a possible war at hand." Lady Odva chimed.

The next hour was spent debating the merits of the decision to have minor and common houses join the council and then one more hour to choose the clans and families that would come to sit in. V'Las and Kal argument vehemently against the appointment of a hybrid and the common houses but were eventually cowed into submission by the other members' logic.

They sent runners to relay the announcements out to the compound and called the meeting adjourned as some of them had yet to pack. A new debate sparked among them and others as they walked back to their houses. With the presence of a homeworld starship offering passage back to them all the question of whether to stay on Vulcan or come back to Earth had everyone weighing the pros and cons.

If it were only himself he had to consider Sarek would leave Earth behind and dwell there only in his memories but his wife and child were from here. Thinking of Amanda he had another moment of doubt. Had he pressed Amanda unduly to go to Vulcan or was he just in his request ( or rather assumption) that she would follow him out of marital obligation?

The elder took his time going home to help Amanda. He was troubled by the fact that he was putting himself before her wants and needs again as he had with his Pon Farr. For so many years on this planet the Vulcan had placed himself in a deep meditation each time the cycle came upon him but after catching sight of her out on the mara, Sarek had been unable to achieve the calm needed to quell his _plak tow_.

Instead he had been consumed with thoughts of her, her small pink mouth split widely into a smile, her round brow furrowed as she studied over her notes in the lantern light, her slight figure gained from time spent out roughing it in the bush, her melodic voice as she carried on cheery conversations in a number of languages. She was a worldly woman of science and the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

And here he was stealing off with her again to his world as he encouraged his son to do the same with his bride. Sarek sighed quietly to himself as he saw Amanda waving him down near the door of their house.

" I covered all the furniture up with cloth though I don't know how much dust we should really expect to be collecting. Did they give you a date on the return flight back to Earth? This may be a bit overkill." she chuckled.

He took the bags she had butted against the doorframe and caught her gaze. " I do not know when exactly they intend to come back."

Amanda's face frowned for a moment before her mouth parted and circled into the shape of a small o. " I see. Well...I should get my lily then." she said quickly before disappearing into the den.

Sarek's brow folded once more in dismay. He longed to please her, give his Amanda all that he could and yet did he not owe it to his family back on Vulcan a chance to see him alive and well? To see his mother and tell her the fate of her bondmate? To see the son that fate had forsaken to be raised without his father? To bid his former bondmate the best in life as he continued his with Amanda?

His bondmate in question reappeared with her favorite potted flora and walked out ahead of him. Sarek followed, insistent that they clear the tension that hung between them. " Amanda...if I may have a word with you-"

She wheeled around to face him and shook her head. " No, not right now darling. I find myself all worn out when it comes to logical discussions. I just want to hurry up onto your flying saucer and get this over with."

" Flying saucer?"

She rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. " Never mind dear, let's go. Are Spock and Nyota there?"

" They should be waiting for us near the shuttle or will be arriving there shortly." he replied still worrying over her contentment as they walked to the gate. The sight of the Yonulsu clan however refocused his attention.

T'Pring was standing straight and strong alongside T'izh as they spoke in sweet, hushed tones with T'Kaas and T'Bes. The former pair wished the latter two farewell as they prepared to board the ship. T'Pring was a carbon copy of her father, beautiful, cunning and shrewd as she mingling among her peers. T'izh on the other hand commented only when spoken to directly, a trait her father V'Las had still yet to master in Sarek humble opinion.

Ikeno stood off to the side talking with Kibibi and some of the other human wives that were bound for departure. The happy beauty looked even more exuberant as she kissed her friends and exchanged jewelry as forget me nots. Nyota soon joined her, the two holding hands as Spock watched them warmly and Ulihar looked for the ship overhead.

The children went about asking after items only available on Vulcan and a quick return from favorite aunts and uncles as they snuggled up beside them. Older children however only allowed a brief hug and a reasonable request of a thoroughly enjoyable voyage.

As he let his gaze rove over the crowd Sarek idly wondered how many were against him.

Who and how many ever there were needed to be found out but not here. Relocating to Vulcan temporarily could work to his family's advantage. Amanda had a clever saying about rodents coming out into the open when they did not think the feline's teeth and claws were an immediate threat.

He would let his enemies think he was too arrogant to heed Rovoc's warning. He would lie in wait, until their ignorance sealed their fate and brought the illogical reprobates in hand. And if he could help it, he would not be gentle or public in their punishment.

T'Nar took her seat in the back at the small helm of the starshuttle. Hailing the _Golian_ above she waited for Captain Uren to connect the signal.

The static cleared on the audio transceiver and the crisp holographic projection of Uren's long, weather beaten face appeared before her. The bust image fixed its eyes on hers and gave her a graceful nod. " Report."

" Subjects exhibit no signs of regression though primitive in most means of technology and culture. All surviving Vulcans are well, the humans are also in prime condition. More data is needed on the hybrid making the initial readings inconclusive. Though there is a strong _Vulkansu_ present within the community the subjects cultures have amalgamated into a new, distinct society. Humans and Vulcans are observant of their fellow's morals and values while the hybrid offspring of the mated pairs observes both. It appears that they do adhere to _vehilnar_ and _kolinar_ in the minority but Surak's teachings and intellectual curiosity are held to the utmost standard. Socially they are a curious and friendly group."

" Explain in depth on socio-cultural example found in field."

T'Nar straightened up from her seat and blinked her compliance. " A young adult male was being punished for crimes when we arrived. It seems they ruled for a temporary reduction in his senses through the use of a meld until he could stand trial before the elders that the crew established here as a council."

Uren looked off to the side in a fashion she knew denoted his fascination. " Anything else of note?"

" The subject Sarek while mildly malnourished seems to be thriving here along with other fully Vulcan genetic subjects on the planet's surface. The hybrid offspring seem fully acclimated to Terra though it has yet to be proven whether they would thrive just as well under Vulcan conditions."

" Do any subjects seeking passage exhibit a reticence to boarding?"

" Subject Sarek logically concluded all those undergoing hormonally induced periods, pregnancy or mental exercises should be allowed to stand behind. All other subjects not experiencing such conditions will be able to given the choice of passage by word of the council."

The captain nodded and met her eyes again. " A speculation."

" Yes."

" Will enough subjects required for the study be available for a control and experiment?"

" On pure speculation, this one believes enough Vulcans, humans and hybrid offspring will board the vessel and resettle to Vulcan."

" Are subjects aware that transportation back to Earth will not be provided?"

" Negative."

The captain nodded once more and did something off screen on the console. " Unless asked directly the council and the VSA would prefer to keep the subjects unaware of this fact for authenticity purposes of the study. Subjects may react negativity and corrupt the study. If the ethics console reconvenes and overrules the VSA's study we will have new orders to return them at once. Over and out."

Uren's face faded away leaving an unobstructed view of the shuttle controls beyond it. T' Nar's eyes lost their focus as she troubled logically over their orders.

The high council, Vulcan Science Academy and Vulcan Ethics board had met as soon as the news reached them of the Terran crash survivors. What could be done? How much would bringing a few or all the families now settled on this planet disrupt their own? Would they be now dependent on Earth's food and/or atmosphere? Would they harbor bacteria, viruses or parasites that would plague the people of Vulcan? Would the hybrids be genetically superior to their own people or inferior byproducts of the Vulcan's need to survive pon farr? Would they bring about another cultural renaissance with their arrival or usher in a new era of harsh reform and regulation?

From their scanners everything was deemed optimal and sanitary but as for these people the question of what kind of change their presence would bring remained inconclusive.

Going over their ruling T'Nar saw the wisdom of it but stayed morally irritated by their decision to keep the Terran V'tosh on Vulcan for a long study. They had cited contamination possibilities as the factor behind their verdict, giving a society technology that they had yet to develop. T'Nar thought the ruling was more about their own gain than sullying the prime directive. If that were the case, why even make their presence known or bring them to Vulcan?

She glanced outside to the gathering crowd waiting with bags and well wishers. The children present gave her pause. They looked so much like their own, beautiful, energetic and ceaselessly curious. As Sarek's bondmate doted over one of the toddlers T'Nar felt a sense of resolve fall over her.

" Computer audio visual record from camera numbers _veh, rehkuh and shehkuh_ ( 1, 3 and 6)."

' _Video recording with sound_ ' the computer chimed.

As she waited for Sarek to give her the all clear, the commander wrote up an appeal on his behalf. She did not assume anything but felt comfort in being prepared for all possible scenarios, like the one where he requested that they return _home_.

She had just drawn up the file when a hail came in from the ship. She pressed the receiver and spoke aloud. " T'Nar."

' _Hey buddy! When do you get back? Bones and I were wondering whether we could take a little safari while you were moving people to the ship. None of us have been to Kenya before and would love to see it.'_

T'Nar blinked as the voiced registered in her head and sighed silently. " I plan to be aboard momentarily, Mr. Kirk. I do not there will be enough time allotted for a biological sightseeing excursion."

' _Are you sure? From where I'm standing I've spotted a herd of elephants, a pride of lions and what Mr. Sulu says to be are wildebeests. Just one little zip around those scooters of yours is all we're asking.'_

T'Nar tamped down the amusement she felt at the cheery, blue eyed human's antics. He was expressive but not overbearing. He had been one of" Please take your request to the Captain for permission, Mr. Kirk."

There's a heavy sigh on the other end of the receiver and a bit of mumbling she can't decipher. ' Really? It's the least you can do seeing how you abducted us.'

" All of you boarded voluntarily and agreed to go to Vulcan."

' _Po-teh-toe, Poe-tah-toe.'_

" I will reiterate that you should go to the captain with your request."

' _I will if you promise me one thing.'_

T'Nar sighed silently before answering him. " Yes?"

' _Okay two actually. That you come with us and bring a camera. And please call me Jim._ '


	2. Chapter 2

" Relax, _mume_."

Ulihar sighed into the thick sateen sheets and forced his eyes closed. His wife's small hands scurried about his scalp as she finished the last few braids along the crest of his head. " I am relaxing, Kibibi."

" The muscles in your back look like a mating ball of black mambas it's so tight and knotted. Stop _relaxing_ Ulihar and _actually_ relax."

She was redressing his wild, dark mane of brown hair after his experimental run through of their cabin facilities. The _Golian_ 's technology was far superior to that found on their wrecked vessel, with the bathing houses alongside automated chamber pots called restrooms attached to each person's room...no...cabin, yes that was the word he mused. The shower had been one such venture.

It had been a pleasant enough experience though the Vulcan in him disdained getting wet. The sentry had also had to shed his jewelry as the crew had warned them all that the jets from the shower might damage their accessories. His necklaces, bracelets, armlets and anklets sat neatly around his mask on the dresser...no, the refresher the others had called it.

Ulihar felt bare without them. He so rarely removed any of them and had never once removed them all but he would not chance their destruction inside the sonic shower stall. He rubbed along the curve of his ear and marveled at how bare it felt without his earrings.

After he had been freshly washed and cleaned of debris, Kibibi worked on his frizzy, brown mane with verve. She took her duty to keep him kempt with almost a solemn regard though her affectionate attachment to the task was clear. Kibibi was doting on him in the few ways she had learned how.

With every brush of her fingers as she braided his hair Ulihar felt cherished by his little Turkana lady. Lady in spirit not in title.

She was not a chief born daughter and he was only a minor relative to the high house of K'goah. He doubted he'd be able to even claim the title of _D'haile_ (baron) let alone _S'haile_ (lord) even back on Terra let alone Vulcan. That honor rested upon his cousins like T'izh, Van or Zek whose father was a third cousin to his own.

That Ulihar had taken up being a martial arts instead of the fine arts was already out of step with his family's heritage but then again everything was new to the on earth. That and he rarely followed the hunting trails of others. It drove T'izh's father V'Las mad to no end as she followed his discipline in kind. As a concession the young T'sai also worked on mastering painting, ceramics and was a fairly good seamstress as well.

Ulihar nestled down deeper into the bedding as his bondmate straddled his back and worked over his coiffure. She had just finished his braids and was clearing her hands of the excess shea butter by rubbing along his shoulders.

As she did so he could not help the pleased chuff that left his lips...or rather did not care too. He could feel an affable sort of complacency through their bond as she kneaded her fingers into the meat of his back. He reasoned that most females probably experienced the same when they put their mates in a state of contentment. She inspired the same...gratification in him. He loved his Kibibi and making sure she was taken care of, logically brought him peace.

" You need a shave." she said softly, rubbing at the thick hair that was threatening to curl along the sides of his head. " Unless you want to look like a Maasai."

He grunted and stretched, feeling the muscles along his back ripple and his mate's wiggling hips as she adjusted. A purr hummed in his throat from amusement with the gesture. She was such a squirmy female.

Ulihar held her hand and spoke to her aloud with his mind open to translate. " There are worse things I could impersonate but once we arrive on Vulcan you may shave it down, dear one."

Kibibi lowered herself down onto his back and slid her legs alongside his own. The soft weight of her body eased the tension he did not know had been there until his lids snagged low.

Being inside the spacecraft was unnerving for him. He was moving but not moving, as if he were in the maw of a giant beast flying beast and gave him the same unease as if he had been swallowed whole.

Ulihar had spent most of his life running, climbing and roaming under the open sky, only retreating to his home for time with his wife and to sleep indoors when the weather was too wet or cold to do so. He found out too late after boarding and watching the earth disappear into a speck behind him that he was claustrophobic.

If Kibibi were not on top of him now he'd probably resume pacing the room as he had earlier after the initial shock of meeting new Vulcans and being aboard a spacecraft had dissipated. He felt trapped, boxed inside a cage that ensured his life as much as it hampered it. He wished to do something, expend his energy somehow but he knew nothing of starships aside from what his father had shared during melding. With his inspection of their cabin Ulihar found too many of the components he could identify had changed for him to move about with confidence.

Even more troubling were the newcomers. He did not know what to think of the new Vulcans. In many ways they were complimentary to the surviving crew members Ulihar and the other hybrids hailed from while in others they seemed utterly alien to him. He did not like the feel of separation...no not separation, more like a barrier between the V'tosh Terra and the V'tosh Vulkansu. _The passage of time_ he concluded as he thought more on it, they were kept apart by years gone by.

In his time of mastering his emotions and melding with animals out on the plains he had observed something similar between two flocks of red bellied firefinches. Mimicking the signature move of the caracal Ulihar had been able to fletch a pair of them from the air when they tried to flee his hunting presence. He had never melded with birds before and thought the venture a promising prospect to undergo. Little did he realize how confusing it would be for all three of them.

The ruby birds quivered in his hold, bewildered that he had caught them so readily but they were also baffled by each other. He felt them bickering in the midst of their fear of him as to what exactly he was and why the other was singing so...barbarically.

To his untrained ears their rapid twittering was all the same, frantic cheeps in between manic trills but to them it was as if the other was a completely different species of bird. They went on at length trying to establish a common ground, finding similar tweets for familiar concepts like big and scary though the other was saying something more like huge and fearsome. It was those minor changes, the little details that had gotten lost in translation that Ulihar recalled now.

These homeworld Vulcans for all intents and purposes were the same as any of the full bloods and the hybrids for that matter but Ulihar wasn't sure that they truly understood each other. Yes they had immediately embraced each other, had eagerly taken a few of them to venture back to Vulcan with them but how much information was being withheld with nearly a century between them?

He glance down at the creamy cinnamon of his skin stained with its own constellation of starry brown dots and wondered how he would be received. Would he be taken into the fold as a Vulcan or seen as some mutant freak like Stonn had described? He feared the former was more of a possibility.

" You're tense again. Is the motion of the boat still bothering you?"

He sighed as she snuggled against him and clicked his tongue inside his closed mouth in a Vulcan show of gratitude. " Ship." he corrected gently. " And no, my love, it is my uncertainty about this journey. I do not know these people."

" But are they not your own?"

" It is like comparing the Turkana to the Maasai, at first glance one could be mistaken for the other but we have as many differences as we do similarities."

" What makes you unsettled?" she asked bringing her arms around his neck which was still free of jewelry after his shower. The embrace was nearly overstimulating. She had never been able to touch him there before. The combination of her soft skin and scent nearly distracted Ulihar away from his train of thought but he knew he would not feel at ease until his purged the emotion. Best to give it to his wife who was willing to digest his feelings for him.

" They put on as if they have missed us for ages but did they come sooner? They mourned but did not search for our bones, look for the fate that sealed us to this land? Is it truly altruism that motivates their actions or they after something? And if so what?"

Kibibi hummed thoughtfully before bopping his nose. He snorted in protest. " Kibibi…"

" You make very good points my stag, but I wonder if what happened with your bond brother and your row with Stonn didn't make your mind suspicious? It would be ashame if either were true but you're so sweet, Harly I do not want you to become a hard man like Oratt."

" Ulihar please, not Harly." he requested flatly. " And I will meditate upon it further this evening...if it is evening when we arrive. I do not know in this sea of night called space what time it truly is. So much is changing so quickly."

" You Vulcans are an exciting lot." Kibibi teased nibbling at his ear.

She was trying to use her body and confusing words to distract him from his worry. As she rolled her hips and pushed her breast against him, he found her doing an exceptional job.

Ulihar rolled careful onto his back and pulled her back on top of him to straddle his stomach.

" Perhaps we are exciting but I much prefer routine. I like to roam the forest, man the gate, watch over the kanlar and patrol the border. What will my routine now? What will they make me into?"

" What do you want to be dear?" Kibibi asked rising up above him. His eyes fell to the crop top she was wearing and grunted. He was pleased yet annoyed to see that she had not bound her breasts. With the thin, soft cloth any number of the males would have been able to see her nipples budding against the material as her breasts swayed beneath it. His displeasure must have bothered her because he found Kibibi leaning forward to offer up a taste.

His hands held her waist as he pulled her down and mouthed at the stiff peaks through the shirt. She moaned and leaned into the wet heat of his mouth, sighing as she felt his tongue lick at her through the fabric. With calculated tenderness he held the soft bud between his teeth and pressed his tongue against it. Kibibi jerked with a plaintive gasp but his hands held her steadily in place and did not release her until he felt her arousal wet his abdomen from where she sat on his stomach.

His eye flickered up from her chest and stared back at her heatedly. " Take it off. All of it."

Kibibi bit her lip but did as he ordered, slowly peeling one article of clothing after another. " You never answered my questioned." she said wiggling out of her skirt and underwear.

Ulihar rolled to his feet and stood above her unwrapping his loincloth, watching her face as he did so. He took a hold of himself, leisurely stroking his shaft as he watched her face." What was the question again?"

He knew what it was though, could recall it word for word and the tone and pitch in which she spoke it but he wanted to see how distracted she was.

Kibibi stared up at him with her mouth hanging open eyeing his erection before her eyes snapped back to his face. " I...I uhh asked about your job...what did you want to do." she finished with another nibble at her lips.

He lowered himself behind her, settling his torso along her back as his nosed along her soft, round ear. Reaching around to rub at her belly Ulihar mused over her query. " I enjoy being a guard so I will stay a guard, whether on Vulcan or Terra. If they do not want me to guard there then I will earn it. It would be a nice challenge to train with the males here." he continued on in his hissy sounding Swahili.

As nodded at his answer, Ulihar brushed her hair aside and kissed at her jaw. She shivered in response and he felt something inside him thrum in delight. His eyes tracked along her shoulder, following the dotted crescent lines that patterned her skin. He idly wondered if there was a patch where he hadn't marked her. His hands came up to cup her breasts with a quick squeeze before settling around the base of her neck below her collars. Shifting her back in the nook of his arm he gently but firmly leaned her back by her neck and kissed her.

She eagerly kissed him back pushing her rear back against his lok. Humans loved kissing in such a fashion. He much preferred using the touch of her hands to so but Kibibi would never whine for him like she did when he pressed his lips against hers. " Mume." She mewed, wiggling her bottom.

He briefly smiled against her mouth and hooked one of her legs over his arm. Bumping along her soaken mound between her legs, Ulihar slowly pushed himself inside.

His upper lip twitched and curled with a silent snarl as she gasped and clenched around him. After another pointedly tighter fluttered he nipped her jaw in warning. " Less you want me to fill you now I suggest that you slacken the vice grip you have around my lok."

She panted in his hand and whimpered. " But…"

" But? Do you believe me to be joking right now, Kibibi?" he panted back.

" No." she pouted. There had been plenty of times her body had been too overwhelming for Ulihar to handle and he had spilled himself after the second or third minute. He was always quick to recover but it was embarrassing for him nonetheless. He knew though that she got a sort of feminine pride out of it even as it frustrated her to have to stop and wait. Such a wicked, contradictory creature, his doe was.

" Do you not want to find your pleasure? If not I will just…"

He took a hold of her hip and pumped against her, huffing in amusement as she cried out and begged him to stop and please her. He stopped himself abruptly, clenching his jaw to fight off the straining tension in his sac.

He had been close even though he was jesting. Her breathy pleading combined with the view of her full breasts bouncing in time with his strokes had him nearly jerking inside her. " Very well. We will please each other."

The hand at her throat pulled at the nerves lining her neck to link their minds. In a blink she was there with him looking down at her lush frame with the same lust that he felt.

He saw his wild eyed stare reflected in her hazy vision of the meld. She thought him beautiful, gorgeous even as he watched her heatedly in the hold of his hand.

Ulihar slid his fingers up from her neck to cup her jaw, drawing them deeper into the meld. She sighed as his mind crowded hers, hungrily wrapping around her like his hand at her neck.

 _Kibibi, most favored, perfect in his eyes. His._

She inhaled at his declaration and his eyes snapped down to her mouth. She felt his intentions before he even moved, her eyes fluttering closing and her lips parting wider to invite him in.

Ulihar hissed out a groan as he firmly held her jaw and sank two of his fingers into her cool, wet maw.

Kibibi held the long digits in her mouth, breathing languidly around them as they buzzed against her tongue. With her lips still parted his wife curled her tongue around them, vee'ing them apart before closing her mouth with a hum. His vision tunneled and faded as it focused on the sensation.

" Kibibi…" he groaned, pushing up against her. His human was so adept at pleasing him that he thought it unnatural. It was almost sinful the way she handled him, mastered the ability to force him to fight for control like male _kan'pre'le_ (teen) that had discovered his hand. If ever divinity were true then she was made to have him and he to have her.

" _Kal-tor nash veh ki'ashau-tor du._ (Let this one make love to you.)" he murmured into her ear. He shifted his hips, eliciting a moan from her throat that he felt reverberate around his fingers. Twisting his head he glanced down at her and groaned again. She was so terribly lovely, how was it that he had her in his possession?

Unbonded as she was when she came to the compound, Kibibi could have had her pick of the litter when it came to the Vulcan males and yet here she was sprawled across his lap and suckling his fingers content as a kitten.

The biggest shock for him had been that she became his bondmate out of a desire all her own and not from a sense of obligation after he helped to save her life. Her place within the community was unique as she came to them ill, unmarked and under Ulihar's protection as his ward. Long before his time came she made her affection known as she spurned the overtures of others though had not allowed himself to be so hopeful.

Eccentric he may be but he was still a logic bound Vulcan and it was not for him to hope for anything. Reason would have dictated that she was simply seeing all available males before settling for the most complimentary one to take on as a bondmate. But summer after summer past with her refusing each approaching male's hand. Instead each season he bore witness to Kibibi flowering into a young woman and the gift of her constant companionship at his side.

Soon after his mother noted her behavior and how Kibibi found every excuse to be around him.

" She's waiting on you to go after her Harly."

" Who, _mehk mehk_." he asked in mock ignorance. It would have been too much for his control to jump to conclusions.

" Your pretty little girl, that's who. Stop trying to be stoic about it and marry her."

" I am not being stoic, merely reasonable. Kibibi could have anyone she wants. She accompanies me on errands because I am like her brother."

" Believe me, she does _not_ see you as a brother, Harly. Either way you have my blessing to bond with her."

He thought his mother might have misread the younger Turkana woman; that was until his little Kibibi sought out his fingers. At the first hint of her romantic attraction Ulihar could hardly contain himself.

He wasted no time in preparing the home he never thought he would share with her. Spock and Oratt had aided in the abode's construction, finishing their simple home in just over one moon's time. His mother acted as her own, sprinkling milk over her feet as a sign of marital prosperity and hooking on the tall decorative wedding collar along her neck before Ulihar ushered her towards their home.

The night of their first meld had been his single most favorite to date. Nothing could compare to the feel of her mind coming up to greet his in an acceptance he never thought possible. He withdrew them from his memories and stole a quick kiss.

With her he was immeasurably contented. Ulihar understood that night what it was to have found your heart outside of yourself and for your soul to live beside you. " _Kauk ki'telsu, nash veh gluvau du ashaya na'du, ko'telsu._ ( Even with the bond, I fail to capture and reveal my love for you, bondmate.)"

" Ulihar, I would have alway chosen you."

He let out a pained sigh as he felt the truth of her words sear his side. Kissing as the shaven side of her head Ulihar nuzzle his cheek against her. " You are everything to this one. Such sentimental talk is taboo if not forbidden but I would say I cherish you all of my days in front of the whole mara if it meant you understood how much this one covets you, Kibibi."

She arched into him, bearing down along his lok as her hands came up limply hang from his forearms.

She was felt his obsession with confusion, gratitude and awe. She was a broken woman, cut to ensure her chastity and barren as a consequence. She could understand if he pitied her but his desire went out of line with the social mores with which she was raised to respect.

His chest rumbled at her devaluation. He pushed her insecurity away with almost a violence to its edge. She was free to have her opinions but his mate believed herself worthless to him. He would not abide in her entertaining such a falsehood.

Cradling her face by her chin, Ulihar put his head along the line of her neck and returned his fingers deeper inside her mouth. The link between them tightened and bound them closer, making Kibibi gasp around the thick fingers.

" Do you still not know how much I want you? How much you are needed by this one?" he chuffed against her skin. There was a pleading tone in his voice but he did not take it into account for her behalf. Better that Kibibi knew she affected him so. What good was suppressing his emotions if his bondmate was in need. If he were able he would not even shun crying to show her.

She shivered at the hot breeze of his breath across her skin and whimpered. She felt his anger, his growing displeasure and tried to dodge away from the hot, stinging ire.

He chased after her and held her captive in their meld. / Do not run from me. It hurts this one to have you leave me, be scared of me. I would never hurt you. My vexation comes from you hurting yourself./

He felt her relax physically against him, resting her back along his chest as she took in his words. She was considering the truth of them, whether she had been setting herself up for heartache by looking at what she wasn't and couldn't do versus what she was and could. She was not that talented, had no special trade to speak of and then having children…

He growled held the part of her neck between his mouth in warning. She made breathy little human noise and fluttered around him at his aggressive posturing. After she calmed he withdrew his mouth and licked at the indentations left by his teeth in her skin. She leaned into the touch with a sigh of surrender.

/ You are enough for this one, always more than enough for this one, Kibibi. Do not run and do not harm. Accept my love and take on your own. _Vaksurik, Asha-vel_ ( _Most beautiful, most darling)_./

He stilled his tongue and withdrew his fingers from her mouth with a kiss to her cheek. Moving his hand to down to her arm, Ulihar hugged her to him and laid his head down onto her shoulder. He remained embracing her that way for a moment, a hand at her jaw, one arm around her chest as she sat impaled on his lap. She was the best discovery during exploration he had found.

Never had he thought he'd find his mate while out roaming the mara as he held. Find one then had been far from his mind as he indulged his curiosity and explored the land.

His parents had been goading him to marry perhaps his cousins perhaps T'izh but the instant he glanced upon that dying beauty in his mother's old village Ulihar wanted more than anything to have her survive, to live on and be with him.

Thinking nothing of the consequences the Vulcan Turkana boy stole off with her and brought her to Ikeno and T'Kaas. It had been a trail to center himself as the pair worked to break Kibibi's fever with old and new medicine. He remember her spirit fighting to leave her body, Ikeno spraying medicinal _changaa_ from his mouth over her limp, sweaty body while T'Kaas worked between her legs to drain off the infection.

It had been a sobering event to say the least. It was the first time he had seen a human in such a state as well as the first time he had a vested interest in the outcome. He had been largely indifferent towards his mother's kind aside from honoring some of their traditions but having a kinswoman ailing from such a rite made him unsettled. She had done nothing but what she had been told and she would die because of it?

He had stood close by, unable to leave his kinswoman's side should her spirit part from her. Young Kibibi took him in every now and again, in her fevered daze, still under the impression that he was death himself. He would correct her every time she referenced it but she pressed on, stating that death had a face like his.

" _Tis not my face._ " he said in stilted Swahili.

" _Then show me that you are not death and I will not die_." she rasped. She watched him raptly as he slowly knelt beside her and took a hold of his mask.

He nervously removed it, fearing her disgust at the sight of his milky eye, blood colored green one and freckled Vulcan face. Humans and Vulcans alike seemed disquieted by his appearance which gave him more reason to venture off on his own.

Ghastly they would say about his eyes when they think he couldn't hear their voices. A shame that he had some many strikes against his handsome face they would murmur referring to his speckles along his cheeks. He sighed as he lowered the mask and bore his face to her. She will say such things in his ill state he thought as her hot, watery gaze roved over him. Ulihar had hardened himself to bear the mockery but already felt crestfallen as he dwelt on it.

When she reached up to touch the flare of his eyebrow however he was surprised to feel Kibibi curious attraction. " No. You are not him. You are just a…"

" An uncomely Vulcan." he said solemnly.

" A man. A good man." she smiled. " Thank you."

He could feel Kibibi reliving the moment with him in his mind redoubling on the emotion she had when she first saw his face. / So handsome and rugged. My Turkana stag./

/ I was barely a buck let alone a stag. I was gangly and frightening to even my peers but you favored me. You use to follow me around like a shadow. It was amusing to see the others view us as already bonded but if they only knew. I thank you for choosing me, my doe./

/ We chose each other. I love you./ He sighed deeply, nuzzling into her hair with a noise that was mournful and lustful. After a moment he felt her regarding him and coaxing him into action from within the link. As she came closer Kibibi stiffened against him as she was met with his sadness, shame and regret.

" What is the matter?"

Her voice startled them both as it broke the silence, even in its softness. Ulihar hide his face further inside her tresses and murmured quietly against her scalp. " I do not share the same conviction that you hold about our inability to conceive...that you are the one at fault."

" What do you...you mean you? Ulihar…"

" It is not always the female. I have researched such matters at the library banks of our crashed vessel. Vulcan biology matures much more slowly than humans. With our longevity no one would bat an eye about a V'tosh couple having their first kan-bu at 60 summers. There is a chance...that I am impotent...that you may not be able to have our offspring because of my genetic-"

" Ulihar, please-" she whispered softly but Ulihar shook his head and continued.

"- I won't allow another to touch you. I cannot...tolerate it. I am sorry. I have placed you in a difficult position. You want so badly to have a child…"

Kibibi reached back and cupped his face, bringing him out from hiding in her long braided hair. His face was placid but she felt his turmoil.

Ulihar felt that he was failing her. His bondmate wanted a baby and he could not impregnate her, it was his fault because his mate was superb.

" Did something happen? Ulihar, where is this coming from?"

His eyes darted away even as his mind replayed his tiff with Stonn for his mate to see. Kibibi softened as she felt him warring with his uncertainty. As much as Ulihar would have just overlooked all of Stonn's rantings the blue eyed Vulcan had wounded him gravely at with reference of their infertility. When she reviewed the threat to her person Kibibi mirrored his anger with a hungry kiss at his mouth.

Ulihar blinked against the odd reaction but received her none the less, curling his thin, raspy tongue against hers. After his acceptance she broke the kiss and eyed him darkly. " If that _dung beetle_ thinks he can lay his hands on me he has another thing coming."

" Oh?" he drawled, amused by her insult.

She moaned contentedly on his lap and shifted, reminding him where he still laid buried. " I am married to the swiftest Vulcan guard in the village and it will be this male they call the kudu man who gets me with child. There is no male, man or Vulcan that could tempt me away from you, who I'd be more honored to have between my legs..."

Ulihar swallowed a snarl and bucked against her with renewed lust. How sweet she was, so tenderhearted to him. Lacing her arms around his neck she arched her back as he pushed and pulled her along the length of his lok. " Yes, yes. Mmm. You can show him this, show him how happy you make me. How you make me moan. And later you can show him how you'll gut him if he touches me…"

" I would disable his strength, fight him on even ground." he murmured against her neck. " I would have you watch me best him and witness me being your companion."

" I would watch with bated breath if only to see how you would rid the mara and our village of that mad dog. Stonn has always bothered me but it worse now with Nyota here. He was hunting her."

He felt a growl rise up in his throat but kept the rumble down in his chest. He held her hips tighter and took her in long, easy strokes, still nuzzling at her neck even as he loath of Stonn's existence pressing on his emotional control. Kibibi melted into him " That deviant. If he lays one finger on a female that is not his own I will challenge him if not kill him outright."

Kibibi hummed at the notion and cried out as he hit with a particularly punctuated thrust. " Harly!"

Ulihar grunted as his bondmate used his adolescent petname. After hearing his mother call after him in such a way, it took years to make his mate stop using the supposed endearment. " I am no longer a child, Kibibi. Please refrain from using that name."

She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. " Not as fearsome Kudu man or Turkana stag? You'll always be my lanky, gangly Harly." she cooed.

" You are distracting me …" he huffed, petulantly. The name was not arousing to him in the least and actually had the opposite effect.

Kibibi turned her head to see him and laughed the moment she saw his face. " Are you pouting?! Oh my goodness Ulihar! One minute you are spouting on about bloodlust and revenge and the next you're having a temper tantrum over a name?"

" It is a unbecoming reference...I am no longer a teen." he huffed defensively. She pinched his cheek and he turned to snap grumpily at her fingers with forceful exhale from his nose. " You are teasing me. Do not touch my face."

She bit her lip to stifle her laughter and nodded at her brooding husband. " Okay I won't but why don't you touch mine?"

Ulihar brightened at the suggestion, quickly moving her down to the bed and onto her side while still wedged inside her. She resumed giggling at him as he positioned her to his liking, finicky thing that she thought him to be, with one of her shapely legs over his hips and the other between his legs.

He blinked down at her as he reached for her face with one hand at her hip. She licked her lips and moaned airily as his warm mind came back over hers. Carefully he deepened the connection, bringing them as close as they could be without fear of losing themselves in the other and bucked against her.

Here they could play and share in their bliss, it was how he made sure his wife was able to bring herself to pleasure. Jutting his hips Ulihar tested the link and was pleased to feel her mind resonating against his.

 _She's tight, almost painful around me, panting with those delightful little human noises she makes when I push my lok inside her. Her scent intoxicates me...leading me around like a bull by its nose ring. Sink deeper, yes there, like that...it makes me want to mark her because she gives herself to me so freely, knows that she is mine. Mine, all mine, to love and fill and fuck. So vulgar, she makes me this way when all I wants to do is be sweet and kind but she is the one who is soft and gentle and I cannot help but try and find a balance by being brooding and demanding._

Vaguely his ears pick up the sound of her voice mewing his name before he pushed deeper and made her gasp.

 _So good, so full, not even to the hilt. Him over me, watching me with his hot hands on my body. Oh God, I want him, want him so bad...Oh, I love it when he touches me, how the heat of his fingers lingers on my skin, how he can palm my whole belly with his giant hand..my Vulcan is big all over, he engulfs me, drives me mad, we'll be mad together. Yes there his mouth there!_

His hand moved from her hip to her chest to cup the soft, weight of her breast. Gazing up at her face he pulled its nipple into his mouth with a throaty purr. She jerked off of the bed and bucked frantically wanting so badly to draw his face closer and his lok deeper still. She called out to her God again and dug her heel into his rear. He hummed and flicked his scratchy tongue against the taut bud teasing her further.

 _So soft, how is she so soft? I could suckle from her all day, lick at her breast until her milk comes in to feed me. She would like that, me feasting from her...my hot mouth latched over her swollen breast, relieving her of the pressure and her rich milk. She has heard the tales from the other wives, milk hungry bondmates. I would be no different, she knows how greedy I am..._

He released the bud with a pop and he pushed his way down towards the other, using his sensitive fingers to strum against the nip he left wet and cooling in the air.

 _His little doe was so lovely, listen to her voice. So plaintive. I love overwhelming her with my affection. She deserves all of my love, all of my affection. With her, I am chief but it is her rule I live by. So precious, so soft, human, alien...lover…_

Her hands went up to cup his angular face then, moaning and squirming as he licked and sucked at one breast and teased his fingers against the others. Ulihar could feel his lok was pleasurable for his bondmate on the inside of her center but the outside where the little, swollen peak of her clitorius would been there was nothing but numbness. In her mind however there were still connections to the underlying base of it that his Vulcan nature could manipulate even as thin as they were from laying dormant for so long because her cutting and their first time.

 _His mouth is so strange, thrilling...sweltering, dry, raspy, licking at my breasts like a starved man. Savage. Lusty brute he is to take me in such a way. To try and stuff all of himself inside me, make my lips mindless utter his name. Trickster, her Ulihar, her Vulcan...lover. Please me…_

Ulihar hummed at her sentiment. " You are the one to please me, Kibibi."

Sitting up on his heels his long arms pushed his mate onto her back before bring a hand back to her face. They groaned in unison as the meld flared back to life and snapped them back together.

Ulihar gathered her hands above her head and held her wrists down against the bed. " You will wear my mark. Bear my kanlar. Love all that is me."

It wasn't a question but Kibibi answered him all the same. " Yes, yes." she whimpered, straining against his grip. She wanted to touch him. He would let her but if she did so now he would surely finish before he was able to please her. Best to deny her this for something far more pleasing.

" _I will wear your mark, protect you and love all that is my Kibibi. Always_." he crooned in his native tongue. Ulihar swallowed the lump in his throat as he felt the passion that humans called love and the Vulcan named ashau swell and unfurl inside her. Amazing still was witnessing his human mate being link to him by the emotions that threatened his logic and sanity. While true, his words still felt overly sentimental but she needed them and he needed her.

He kept her wrists bound as he threw her legs over his hips and took her as gently as he could, enjoying the view his position afforded him. He felt her clawing in his mind, needily grabbing at his sensations as she sought her release. She was close and needed his mind to take her over the edge. He brushed her mental tugging away and continued at his slow, steady pace, panting as he drew closer to desperation himself.

" Please, please, please, Ulihar. Please…!" she mewed, digging her nails into the meat of his hand. He could feel the tension building down in her belly but if she could still talk... he wanted Kibibi just as mad as he was when she came.

/Look at me./

Her eyes snapped open and focused on his face with a tormented look. " Please…"

Hmph, still talking. / Watch my face./

She did as he bid and was rewarded him ever so mildly folding her mind into his.

 _/She so beautiful like this, full lips parted and panting, begging me, her body twisting and writhing like a snake ensnared by the claws of an eagle. Under me she'll find her end, just like that snake, die a little death that only he could grant her. She wanted it, she was begging him for it. Her head is thrashing and her breathing uneven, she is leaning up offering up her skin to his teeth and he gives into the overture just at her skin over her clavicle gives in under his teeth…/_

 _Joy and pain spikes through her breasts as he nips her skin before biting into her collarbone...hard and slow now, still watching...his face is open now in slack jaw lust, his eyes narrowed in pride at his masculine conquest of her sex...so much, he gives her so much that she can hardly breath, barely remember how to speak, scarcely recall who she is...she is…_

/ That it is, Kibibi...come on my lok...mark me, mark me as you _come_.../

 _His voice is all she can hear in her head as she clamps down on the proffered shoulder and screams into his flesh. There she can feel it, the thick length of his lok driving into her and the hot, fluttering crush of her quim as it locks down around him, milking him, so good, more, yes, Ulihar, Hers…even with his head thrown back she can feel his ecstasy break his lips into a perverted smile...it is only fitting that they come apart this way for each other, that they reduce each other into a mess of nerves._

Ulihar snarled lustfully at the bite of her teeth, the corners of his mouth betraying his _venlinahr._ He feels himself uncomfortably smirk as she came with an impassioned shirek. " _Kibi...bi_.." he shuddered.

 _She is still keening into his skin as he rears back and comes with a force that has his vision spotting...too much, one day she will kill him with her sweetness, make his heart give out as her trembling form overwhelms his will to breath. She trembles as his hot seed fills her sex, his metallic blood fills her mouth and his lewd thoughts fill her mind and still demands more to his amusement. So he bites her, right on the bone at her collar...so that defamer can see his mark, smell his seed running down her thighs and inspire his lust to do the same because the moment Stonn does it will be his blood this one tastes and his death this one finds sweet._

Ulihar released her arms and used his hands to keep himself from collapsing on top of her. He blinked bleary eyed, noting Kibibi watching him tentatively. Along with his smile it seemed his lapse in control also made her privy to his thoughts of Stonn. He took a deep breath and glanced away from her face. " I...I am sorry. I should not subject you to such violence...in my mind or otherwise."

He started to withdraw from her when her hands went to his hips, holding him with the intent to keep him put. He had knotted but his length in comparison with her quim's size had him swelling just outside of her entrance.

During his pon farr he had pushed himself to lock inside her but it was uncomfortable- he was uncomfortable for both of them. Aside from marking her with his teeth Ulihar went out of his way to never cause her pain.

Holding himself still, he saw her smile and felt her hands come up to cup his face. He huffed and blinked at her languidly as he watched her eyes trace his freckles with one ruddy brown dot to the next. She was taking in the sight of his face after their love making and thought him handsome. She was a such a sweet, puerile dear his human but if she thought him handsome he'd be the last to persuade her otherwise. Running her hands up past his ears and into his hair and drew him down for a kiss.

" What makes you so sure that it was _your_ mind which held the violence? We are one, aren't we?"

He chuckled and ran a finger across her face. " I suppose you do have a point. My thoughts to your thoughts and my mind to your mind. Let's go find the others and eat."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews :) more to come this week...( maybe)

The ship was amazing.

Not that she had ever imagined such a creation of lights, metal and controlled fire. Even with Sarek's memory to help fuel her imagination the current cruiser they were aboard was far more advanced than those serving in the fleet during his time.

Everything about its design was foreign and unnatural to the world she inhabited. Gone was the lush greens and golds of the savannah plains and the asymmetrical decor of rocks, trees and the occasional rocky bluff and replaced with sleek, angular planes much like the Vulcans themselves.

The lighting of the decks took some getting use to, with its soft pink hue bathing everything in a glow similar to the mara's sunrise. The air in the ship felt heavier, the heat of it mildly stifling in it's dryness but everything else about the vessel felt...peaceful.

After the Vulcans took time to tediously interviewing their husbands over an assortment of particulars and escorted them to their accommodations, Nyota had left with Kibibi to review the ship. Kibibi was there at her door smiling mischievously and Nyota quickly gave her her hand and sped out of the room leaving Spock to wonder over the trunk of items that had been sent up to their room.

Nyota wouldn't tell unless someone asked about it but she and Kibibi had played with everything that could get their hands on. Everything from the refreshers which was an immediate favorite having to deal with her moon's blood, to the turbolift buttons.

The elevator had been especially fun as they stop off on each floor, peeking out the door before traveling to the next. A number of Vulcans that board onto their car stared at them from over the electronic tablets. She was sure they were vexed by the amount of stops they had to traverse but they seemed equally pleased by the time they had for open observation of their alien cargo.

Nyota ignored them and continued on, pulling Kibibi off of the lift and into a random corridor. When the doors slid shut she turned to her friend and chuckled under their hands. " Oh my goodness they're so stiff!"

Kibibi nodded as she took a quick glance back at the turbolift. " And I thought the Vulcans we had were dour. These people are like reanimated dead! Did you see the last one? After he came in I don't even think he blinked!?"

" No…" Nyota chuckled batting at her shoulder. " I'm sure he did but he probably did it so quick we didn't catch it."

" Yeah right." Kibibi smirked as they padded down the hall. With another circumspect look the Turkana woman narrowed her eyes with an exaggerated expression of sombreness and gesticulated stiffly. " Logicially your logic is illogical, human. Blah blah blah, I am so smart and overly proud of it and will do everything but admit it outright." she said in a nasal voice that sounded very much like Ulihar's uncle, V'Las K'goah.

Nyota snorted with laughter while Kibibi continued her impression complete with an eyebrow lift. " Stop it Kibibi I'm going to pee myself! Oh!"

Kibibi sniffed and threw back her head with a haughty glance. " How very human of you, Nyota."

Nyota whipped her eyes and covered her smile. " Great. Now I'm going to think that every time I see Lord K'goah."

" He deserves it." Kibibi huffed, waving away Nyota's shame. " In all the time I spent in and near my old village I have never seen such a pompous, prickly man. He's not even chief of the compound but if you spent enough time around him you would think he ruled the whole, damn mara!."

" I see there's no love lost between you two eh?" Nyota said running her hands over the brushed metal of the hallway. It was different from Sarek's memories, cool to the touch despite the warm, circulating air of the ship. Though it looked textured in appearance it was smooth under her hand like polished wood and she wondered exactly what type of metal it was.

" I didn't have anything against him personally but he is hard on my _mume_. Says he's an embarrassment to the family, that he's not Vulcan enough."

Nyota scoffed and pulled at her shuka. Her cramping had worsened and all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep but Kibibi's company and an exploration of the ship had been too tempting of a lure to pass over.

" Not Vulcan enough?! He can stick that sentiment somewhere."

Kibibi clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and nodded. " Believe me I was just about to tell him too when Ulihar bid me not to talk to him without him present or in response to a question."

Nyota made a face and peered out out at the swirling mass of stars beyond the ship's hull. When they first boarded the glowing orbs had all been static dots but after a disorienting pull of gravity they searched out like bright, shiny strings in a haze of blue. Gazing back at Kibibi she tilted her head with an empathetic smile.

" He's trying to protect but I can see where you're coming from. I have no doubt Spock can stand up for himself but it doesn't mean that if he were challenged I would stay silent."

Kibibi hummed in agreement and rubbed at her throat. The faint indentation of teeth beneath her necklaces circled her neck. Nyota glanced away at the fresh marks and licked her lips. She had not had those marks before they boarded. Ulihar moved fast.

" What I want to say is that S'haile K'goah can fuck a goat but I keep the supposed peace between us in place by holding my tongue. I'm sure that he would have given Ulihar trouble about marking me as his wife if he wasn't in the same position!"

Nyota chuckled and bumped her shoulder with her own. " Whether man or Vulcan, males are all the same."

" Illogical." Kibibi grumbled before shooting her a shy smile.

Nyota smiled back but her mouth fell into a grimace as another cramp bit her belly. " Hmm, Kibibi, I want to go eat but I think I'm going to visit the restroom first."

Kibibi studying her for a moment before giving her hand a tight squeeze. " Of course. I will meet you in the...dining hall."

Nyota gave Kibibi a pat on her side and went further away from the lift. If this ship was anything like Sarek's older survey vessel in her memory then it was bound to have somewhere to relieve herself near by. She would refresh the cloth between her legs before attempting to try the invention that Amanda had her pack away.

Once she knew of her menstruation her marriage mother handed Nyota what seem to be an assortment of items to collect the fluid that the Terran V'tosh had fabricated for their wives and some of their daughters with help of their technology. One of the devices was suppose to go inside her and she automatically shunned it for fear of getting stuck.

As another cramp knotted within her abdomen Nyota cursed her luck. The Vulcans picked a hell of a time to come back.

The young Maasai traveled further and further down the ship, enjoying the quiet hum of the warp drive as she continued her search for a restroom. Her footsteps gave off a muted tinny tap as she walked along the hollow plated floor. She glanced down at her feet, watching her poorly reflected imaged follow her with dark, almond eyes from the metal's surface. It was a alloy they called _Vulicinius_ _Val-truh_ or Vulcan titanium.

How strange it was to intimately know things that you were experiencing for the first time. Everything from the recycled air to the gravity settings were odd but familiar. As disorienting as it was being among the stars was thrilling.

Nyota stopped midway in passing the latest hallway and narrowed her eyes at a small group of gathered males. Since she had boarded she had seen very little groups of Vulcans, just a single crewman or pairs walking smoothly from here to there but here was a group of four speaking in quiet voices. _Suspicious_ she thought pausing in the corridor.

They were circled around someone and pressing closer as they questioned the person in flat monotones.

" She is so pale. A true _fam-kursu_ ( albino)." One said in what sounded like indifference but Nyota figured otherwise. She was beginning to loathe this voyage.

" Do you hypothesis that it was her human genetics that caused the mutation?" Another asked. Nyota perked up at the mention of human and started towards them. There was no way a Vulcaness, hybrid or not would be comfortable alone with so many males so near to her.

A soft voice answered from in front of them, cracking as it sought to keep the emotion out of its voice. " Please sires, if I could take my leave of you…"

" Do not go yet, we have a proposition for you. We have never studied a human or a hybrid before. If you would allow us to examine you for...our research project perhaps you could aid us in securing choice placement in the academy? We will not harm you by any means, we merely wish to-"

" My kinswoman wishes to leave. Move and let her go."

The four males turned and looked over to Nyota standing cooly behind them. She peered around the tallest male and spied the much smaller female there. Her milky white face was trembling as she looked nervously from one male to the next. The fact that she was showing any emotion at all let Nyota know how distressed she must have been.

The heavy set male to the right of her eyed Nyota curiously along with the others. " A human. She speaks Vulcan quite well. Do they all speak it you think?"

" I would not know." Said the tallest sizing Nyota up.

Nyota's eyes never left her kinswoman as she put her palm on the pummel of her dagger. " My sister, Kibibi and I were looking for you. Come along so we can finally dine."

The Vulcaness looked visibly relieved and gracefully started to step forward when one of the males blocked her escape. The female swallowed visibly and bit at her plump bottom lip as the male gazed at her from over his shoulder in a look that clearly communicated 'stay put'.

" We were in the middle of discussing research opportunities." said the sandy blonde male. His stare dug at Nyota's nerves as he looked at her unblinking.

" And now you all are at the _end_ of the discussion. Come along sister. We have all waited for a long time to eat and they are deterring us further with matters that could be picked up at anytime."

The stout male that spoke about Nyota earlier now talked with her directly. " You could join the experiment as well human. There are so many details our people have yet to learn about your own."

" Another time." She said, disinterest thick in her tone.

Again the Vulcan female tried to maneuver around the males but the tallest blocked her retreat. " We may not see you all again. We are nearly to Vulcan and with no way to contact you directly. Stay with us"

" We want to have an agreed upon contract now or else we will rise our claim with the council." The stout Vulcan pressed on.

At his words Nyota's anger blossomed further. " You have no claim over either of us!"

The portly Vulcan just continued on, overlooking her piqued condition. " You two are not citizens of Vulcan. Your _sister_ is only half Vulcan while _you_ have no status at all among us. It is only a formality that we even went about discussing this with you. Our research require extensive..."

" _T'sai_ S'chn T'gai. _T'sai_ K'goah. Are these males detaining you?"

Everyone looked over and paused as Stonn came forward garbed in armor Nyota did not recognize. Thin, hammered silver covered his shins, arms, and waist and what wasn't covered was wrapped in black from his neck down, cutting his figure in a way that unsettled her. Whenever she had seen him before the Vulcan had been fitted in billowing robes but dressed as he was the black bodysuit hide little of his lean, muscular figure.

An odd, ornately patterned helmet crown his head and did him the justice of hiding his ridiculous ears. The outfit on a whole brought of the paleness of his eyes but now instead of too warm the blue seemed too frigid. Why was he wearing such things and where had he procured them? None of the Vulcans are the compound had ever worn such garbs.

Stonn caught her studying his appearance and quickly averted her gaze. He however continued to watch her.

The four Vulcans semi circled around their compound sister whispered quickly among themselves, stealing small glances in front and behind them of the females and pointedly ignoring the looming presence Stonn gave off.

" _T'sai_? That human has the rank of lady, templar?" The sandy blonde among them asked. At the Vulcan's question Stonn answered but kept his eyes lingering over her face. The heat that she saw there in his eyes was unsettling.

" That she does and you would be wise to address her as such. You are detaining them from attending their courtly duties as our community has deemed them. Come, ladies. This one will escort you to your quarters."

" The dining hall will be just fine." Nyota corrected him firmly. She wanted the male nowhere near her or the other female's chambers. She nearly called the dining hall the meal hut until she remembered Sarek's memory and how the Vulcan was to be translated.

It was difficult to go between languages especially when the other males had spoken to her in a different accent that she was familiar with. Instead of the language sounding sleek and sharp like arabic the Vulcans here spoke similarly to Sarek with long, rounded vowels and hissy s's. She much preferred the V'tosh Terran dialect.

Stonn finally tore his gaze away and pinned the males with a stare as the pale Vulcaness moved out from behind them. Rushing to Nyota's side, the snowy female surprised everyone present by taking Nyota's hand into her own.

Nyota blinked rapidly as she was hit with a sense of anxiety, relief and...gratitude. The Vulcaness was immensely happy that Nyota, though much smaller and weaker than the males that had detained her, had challenged them for her and remained unmoved by their persistence to hold her longer. She had feared the worst, that she would become some sort of creature for their science project, like some abomination put out for show.

They had hurt her feelings with their words and frightened her when they closed ranks around her. They were unknown to her and being unspoken for she feared overtures from males she did not know. Their reasons while logical had been uncouth and frightening to her with how they were expressed. A warmth spread across Nyota's chest that filled her like a hot liquored milk on a cool night. It stemmed from where her fingers were locked with the Vulcaness built up into a smiling sigh of relief. The female mirrored the motion in sync with her turned with a jubilant glint in her eyes.

" Thank you, _t'hy'la_."

" What?" Nyota murmured curiously following behind Stonn who now led the way to the dining hall.

" _T'ha'la_. A life friend, though without bond. You helped me greatly and for that I am amicable in referring to you as such, Nyota."

Nyota blinked and looked at her again. She would how thought she would have remembered meeting her before with her striking appearance but her name was lost to her. How did she know hers? Was it from their hand holding?

" You seemed confused about me?" the Vulcaness started.

" Your name. You know mine but I don't know yours and I'm embarrassed to say I don't know if I met you before. I thought I would have remembered if I had."

" Because I am unbecoming." the female said plainly.

" What?! No! What is that nonsense you're talking about?! No, you do look different from the other hybrids because of your paleness but that doesn't take away from how comely you are. Shush, I won't hear you speaking ill of yourself. You're just shaken from those jackals back there. Be still."

The Vulcaness tilted her head and stared at her eyes. A nibbling tug at her fingers let Nyota know that the female was skimming her mind. Why and for what?

" You mean what you say." she said almost in awe. A small current of energy passed between them and tickled at the back of Nyota's mind like a sneeze. " That is kind of you. This one is called T'izh."

Nyota swiftly turned the word over in her head to translate the name. She noticed that many of the females had the possessive T in front of their namesake, making the names feel somewhat diminutive. Her name was my…

" Snow? Hmm that's a rare sight in Kenya."

T'izh's eyes bowed into happy looking crescents as sent her amusement through their into intertwine fingers. " My Father has said I would be a rare sight in Vulcan as well. I suppose he was right given my reception. Hopefully my cousin is getting a better one."

" Your cousin?"

" Ulihar. Your mate's _T'hai'la_ , a friend made sibling through a bond. A different life friend. He is quite self-conscious about his blind eye and ephilides."

" His eye and his what?"

" His freckles...I believe you call them in layman's terms. Though his mate seems quite taken with them. Are you looking forward to our arrival on Vulcan?"

Nyota nodded and padded slowly behind Stonn. He was stepping to the side and moving behind them now, perhaps because the males were still following behind them. She could still feel their eyes but she more so felt Stonn's stare boring into the back of her head.

At her ongoing discomfort she felt Spock's curious concern slowly creep over her consciousness. Searching her mind, he careful approached and tentatively poked at the presence T'izh, who hung along the borders of her mind. He questioned the touch of the other and Nyota's anxiety. Was it that one that made her upset?

Nyota sighed heavily and shook her head physically even as she mentally said no.

She was tired of being inundated with Vulcans! Near and far, new acquaintances and old, Nyota didn't even have her thoughts to herself. Crowded didn't even begin to explain half of what she felt. Put upon felt closer but then again there was the sense of being overwhelmed by so much foreign sensations and customs.

Beside her she felt T'izh start to let go of her hand when she tightened her grip. " No, I'm sorry I'm just not use to all this...umm... _closeness_. I want to hold your hand."

T'izh nervously felt her mind again and calmed once she saw that the irritation she sensed earlier was not truly with her. Humans were use to having their minds secluded, having her and Spock within her mind at once had been overstimulating. Once she understood, T'izh withdrew her mind and put space between them. She was amenable to keep her distance mentally.

Nyota then turned her attention to the increasingly irritably presence of her husband and focused on her thoughts. It felt unnatural and tiring, like she was having to narrate her every motion like a storyteller but it was the only way she knew to communicate with him from afar intentionally. / Just met T'izh...being escorted...dining hall./

She felt him calm fractionally and tug at their bond. He was coming for her. That was fine with her, the less time she spent in Stonn's presence the better. As T'izh mirrored her opinion she felt Spock's anger flare up against her temples. _Stonn_!? She had not said _who_ the escort was, he had assumed Ulihar and he was absolutely livid...at _her_?!

As Spock's rage rolled over her mind, T'izh drew her hand away entirely and tucked it into her sleeve. Nyota glanced at her and T'izh gave a slight nod of her head. " I did not want to eavesdrop. Your bondmate displeasure was...quite evident." she said quietly while darting her eyes over at Stonn behind them.

" I don't know why, it wasn't like I asked him!" Nyota huffed angrily jerking her head in the blue eyed Vulcan's direction. At her offense Spock's ire only grew more pronounced. Nyota clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at the mental tantrum he was throwing in her head and pushed him back. That only further incensed him. The distance between them was closing. Fast.

She must have been grimacing because T'izh shot her a troubled look. " _T'ha'la_ , you must be famished. Do not be concerned we are nearly there. Do you have a babe to feed as well?"

She heard the male behind them misstep but when she glanced over her shoulder Stonn was walking just as smoothly as he had been. She shrugged it off as an echo bouncing off the wall of the males they had encountered in the hallway but if she had looked further behind her she would have seen that they had long since departed.

" I'm hungry but I'm more so tired. There's been a lot of excitement lately." she said nodding towards the ship.

" And your health? Are you…" T'izh trailed off, noting Stonn's outstretched arm reaching for Nyota's shoulder. The male caught the Vulcaness looking and in that moment narrowed his eyes at her in a silent snarl of warning. T'izh scowled fitfully and turned to Nyota to move her out of the way but before either party could make their move, Stonn dropped his hand and T'izh turned her head to face the corridor up ahead.

Nyota, unaware of the drama unfolding behind her, looked at T'izh's face and then in the direction she was staring. She heard nothing for a few moments and then the sound of someone marching towards them. A few seconds later Spock rounded the corner, outfitted in a new garb as well.

A thick, navy robe was embroidered in bronze and copper thread was draped over his frame in a style that could not be mistaken for the dress of a commoner. The long, lean cut, fitted sleeves and high collar accentuated his height in a way Nyota found alluring as well as imposing as he came closer. His face appeared serene as ever but his vexation was so strong she almost imagined it hovering about him like an miasmic aura.

He looked from one Vulcan to the other, surprising Nyota as she heard both of them take a few steps back leaving her on her own. Spock came forward faster than she could register, glaring back at Stonn before angrily staring down at her.

Stiffly holding up his hand Spock folded his fingers into oza'telsu. " Attend."

When she hesitated she felt him burn within the bond. / Do not deny me, k'diwa. Attend./

Nyota pursed her lips and folded her fingers against his. In an instant she was engulfed in a storm of jealous rage. She gasped and faltered backwards but her caught her by the waist and pulled her closer. / Explain./

/ Explain what?/ His touch was grating, like hot, coarse sand rubbing against her skin. She wanted to distance them but he held fast to her body and mind.

Spock grunted mentally and went sifting through her thoughts. Talking was talking too long and he had to know what was going on, what had happened to have _him_ there behind her.

She gasped as Spock pulled against the memory of her coming across T'izh in the hallway.

 _She had been on her way to the bathroom then to eat with Kibibi, saw the crowd and grown curious. Saw a female in trouble, heard the word human, went to defend her. The males were disrespectful, had rebuked her request and treated her as one far less than her station. They would not release T'izh and Nyota would not leave her to fend for herself. /Honorable, though misguided./_ he judged mutely before moving on.

 _They were far stronger and in greater numbers. Then_ _ **he**_ _appeared and_ _ **he**_ _assisted them by informing the others of their station and escorting them towards galley, not dining hall or meal hut. Mess hall would have also been acceptable. He saw no major fault in her logic._

Settled in his understanding, Spock released his mental hold. Had he not been supporting her Nyota would have fallen down from the sudden synaptic distance. She shook her head from the dizzy sensation he left behind in her head and pushed him angrily in the bond. / Why are you attacking me? I did nothing wrong!/

He sighed with a rumble and took her mind close once again. He showed Nyota the reason for his seemingly unreasonable behavior and mood. He was vexed that though she had not summoned Stonn _he_ attended her and even upset that she had not thought to contact _him_ , _her_ mate, to aid her. That was a large part of what he behooved him as a bonded male, to fight for her, advocate for her, protect her and he had been denied the chance to do so when she had not called on him through the bond to come attend her.

/ I'm sorry you missed the opportunity but I wasn't thinking about that or even that way. It all was happening so quickly and I didn't know of a way to gracefully bow out of dismissing Stonn while the other males were around./

" It is not your burden to take on. You know and I well know that Stonn did not do this _for_ you, he performed this for _you_."

Nyota stared at him as he let the words hang between them before he stepped forward towards the other Vulcans present. " T'izh K'goah will follow us to the galley and you will find yourself excused, templar."

" The _T'sa_ i...is she with child?"

Spock's eyes flashed angrily for a moment before dulling out to fit the rest of his face. " The lady's constitution is none of your concern. Leave us, _templar_."

Stonn's jaw twitched as he turned on his heels and headed back down the corridor from whence he came while Spock turned on his with the expectation that the females would follow. They did so reluctantly and silently as his demeanor took out all the desire to converse.

Nyota wanted to take T'izh hand again but tucked the urge away. Spock had felt the Vulcaness in her mind and while he had not been upset by her presence he might not welcome someone else 'around them' right now.

Spock turned to face them as they came about the galley and the subsequent mess hall and took Nyota's hand in his. " T'izh, I hope that the rest of your voyage is uneventful and mild in comparison."

" Thank you." she replied. " You all will not be dining?"

" We will sup later. Live long and prosper."

Her eyes darted to Nyota and before forming the ta'al with her hands and saying her goodbyes. As soon as she had entered the Spock rushed Nyota back to their chambers. She started to drag her heels but after a stern look from him she pouted and trudged along. _Overbearing oaf! Barbaric tyrant!_

" I can hear you." he huffed.

" Good! You should! I don't need to be dragged across this ship like some prisoner! Made to suffer _underneath_ you every time _you_ get jealous!"

" Suffer? You hardly suffer from my intimate attentions."

Nyota motioned towards the bite marks along her neck and hissed at him. " Then I'm being unreasonable about how it feels to have teeth bitten into me! Anytime another male so much as looks in my direction you lose all sense of yourself and ravage me as if I wouldn't be able to keep my hands to myself! As if I'm a loose women!"

The tips of his ears turned bright green as a small group of Vulcans dressed in uniform gray robes passed. As busy as they tried to look going over the tablets even Nyota could tell they were trying to listen in and gain more juicy tidbits of their conversation. Spock's nose flared as he fairly jabbed the turbolift's call button and pulled her on board beside him.

He wouldn't let go of her hand and she was tempted to punch him for his brutishness. Once the doors slid open for their deck Spock stormed off down the corridor. Nyota glared at him with the backdrop of star silently zipping past them through the floor to ceiling window panels lining the cabin littered deck.

The soft glow of the heavenly bodies made the whole scene feel surreal as Spock's navy clad body pulled her up against his side. She looked at him searching his pale, stoney face as he continued to scowl at their door. " What is the matter with you?"

He pushed his hand against the panel and ushered her quickly inside. " Something that I will quickly seek to amend."

For the first time since Nyota was in his possession Spock made love to her. It hadn't been what she had feared or what she was loathed to do at the present but something that later awed them both. " Get on the bed." he demanded as soon as they entered the room. Nyota wheeled around on him angrily and pointed her finger at his face.

" Don't order me around!"

He huffed and postured over her with hair along the back of his neck and head standing up on end. At the low, threatening rumble bubbling up inside his throat Nyota stumbled back against the bed with a face of frightful defiance. Spock paused and felt his face falter and crest with remorse. " Nyota. Please do not be frightened."

" I'm only reacting naturally!" she argued. " You're being an unreasonable bully!"

The tenor of her words had him shrinking in on himself as he rounded his shoulders and appeared far less foreboding. Guilt she realized as his brow tilted up fractionally for a moment as he regarded her face.

" I am being Vulcan." he said softly. She watched him with a scowl as he focused on unfastening his robe and setting the thick silky fabric down beside her on the bed. With a heavy sigh Spock went to his knees and moved over towards her. Nyota glared at him as he situated himself between her legs while still kneeling on the floor. However as he took a hold of her and laid his head against her chest her expression and anger softened.

" I cannot be any other way towards you. I am who I am and would not put on a facade of something other. I have been Vulcan to you but I have also been callous. Presumptuous, intimately aggressive. I beg your pardon for my behavior."

Nyota's hands left the bed and held his head against her, gently stroking his hair. Spock rolled his face towards her body and hide his face away. " I have not given you the happiness which I desired, had planned for seven years to give you. I had failed you and I wanted to amend my erroneous actions towards you but now...we are here and I have yet to make you feel safe and...secure in your choice of having me."

" Spock." she started, stilling her hands against the back of his head and neck. " You _know_ I would never willingly have Stonn aid me let alone be around me."

" As illogical as it is to do so I hate him. I have no definite proof to his traitorous nature only that so many others share in the same opinion. He _would_ steal you from me if the opportunity were to arise. I do not think you know how adamant Vulcans can be about such matters."

" I want to understand. Tell me."

Spock sighed quietly as the light weight of her hands caressed his shoulder and nuzzled further against her chest in clear remorse and affection. She ran her fingers along the crest of his ear and laid her chin on the crown of his head. She did want to understand but more than that she wanted them to understand each other. He had hurt her feelings when he been so plain-spoken and rough with her in the corridor and felt that he had unfairly called her honor into question. If she had been a male or not his bondmate that he would have reacted differently. In this she had a point.

" I will show you and you will understand."

He rose up then gathering her into his arms and carried her across the bed. Tucking her up against his chest Spock spooned her body and brushed away her hair. He had never been intimate with her in such a way, in such a Vulcan manner but to do so now felt as long overdue as it did natural.

" Will you share your mind with me? Allow me to share my mind with you?"

Spock watched Nyota nod as she turned her face and peered up at him. " What are you going to do exactly?"

" I do not know if there is a word for it in Maa or Swahili or even my mother's language but we will share each other as only bondmates can."

" You mean we're going to…" she started thinking of the bloody mess collecting between her legs.

" No." Spock assured her quickly. " We will not be physically intimate. We will pursue something far deeper in connection. It is an act which my people almost view as...scared. Please arrange yourself comfortably."

Nyota complied though Spock could feel her hesitance under her fingers. She didn't understand what he was asking or what he wanted. He leaned down kissing her temple and then once more on the soft curve of her brow bone. He continued gently pressing his lips against her face until Nyota had relaxed the tension in her mind and snuggled herself back against him.

Aligning his fingers, Spock laid his head above hers and closed his eyes with a slow lick of his lips. The impression of her mind against his hand felt like the surface tension in water, he had only to mentally push down to break it and sink deeper. He was deliberate in doing so, slow, languid and softly. This was their first time, something new and wonderful that should be savored in its exploration. Once the tension was broken his mind sank into hers, pulled down by its own weight and diffused inside her own.

The feeling was warm and molten, reminding Nyota thick blood fresh from a bull's neck. Spock pushed deeper and she felt herself distance from the sensation of the deep. The overstuff pallet beneath them disappeared and the hot, solid form of his body faded from her perception. The darkness of her closed eyes brightened and she and he were one.

In this meld they were completely interfuse, a seamless entity that was new and wonderfully made. Whatever one felt the other also experienced in tandem. Being bonded was not only what they were but who. Disembodied and intertwined as they were there were no barriers or boundaries to hinder their exchanges. Her thoughts were now their thoughts, his pleasure was now that of their own and the bond between them was no longer linear in nature but radial from their proximity.

To say that it was blissful was putting it bluntly and so woeful far from the actually feeling. Free from the constant barrage of physical sensation, their minds coalesced on the vacated space bodily awareness and became the focus of their being.

After a moment's time to adjust, one thought to move so they both concluded that they would do so. Timidly their minds slipped against one another, moving like oil over water, flowing where the other ebbed.

A warm tingling burn warmed across her or maybe it was him but either way the pleasure was shared between them as the movement slowed and folded over reserving its course. The delightful heat grew hotter and pulled them tight.

Vaguely she registered a sound, a voice sighing airily in the distance but she was unable to comprehend who it was that made it. The glissade sped up and their beings were pushed tighter, forcing out thoughts and any other impressions that were deemed extraneous.

It was a terribly decadent mix, the quick push and pull, the tightening friction of the heat encasing them as they pushed themselves to try and get closer. Remotely the strangled gasps reached their ears but the consuming need to move and burn and touch was overpowering. Neither had ever felt this needy without the thought of death being a near and possible fate, that if they didn't drag themselves along the other, caress every inch and crevice of their combined consciousness that they would cease to exist.

Tighter and tighter the ball of their being wound until the hot, burning mass imploded and expanded exponentially. The near pitch blackness burst into a bright blazing light as their bond snapped back into taut line between them. Unprepared for the tumultuous propulsion Nyota and Spock slipped free from one another and back into their bodies with a violent tremor.

Nyota's eyes snapped open with the soundless cry still fresh on her lips as she arched in Spock's embrace, her fingers knit tightly in his tunic and hair and came with her full body. Spock did the same with his fingers digging into her with a force that was nearly bruising and a sound she had near heard him utter before.

As she lay spent and unable to do more than breath through her mouth, the lingerly buzz of who he was floated heavily in the back of her mind and for a moment she was in complete awe. As a Vulcan he loved her with every fiber of his being.

If Stonn coveted her that was one thing. Vulcans experience jealousy and vengeance just as humans do but stayed resolute in their meditations to suppress such urges that might lead to violence. But if Stonn loved her as Spock did then he would want her with the same ferocity that Spock treasured her.

Who they were in the bond would no longer exist, Spock completed by her could no longer be if Stonn was able to abscond with her and everything that was precious and dear and good between them would be lost.

" It would harm me gravely." he murmured softly against her ear. " Drive me to madness if he were to take or harm you."

In his ghostly presence in her mind she felt his thoughts clearly, that they were not separate beings but a two parted whole. Stonn's want of Nyota was a threat on _their_ life because he was her and she was him. _Telik_ ( bonded), Apart but never parted, unless by death.

Stonn escorting her had terrified Spock into an unreasonable angry because he feared for them. That he could not kill him outright irked Spock to no end but it pained him to end contemplate such matters. Vulcans were pacifist by philosophy but their biology operated in a different fashion. He did not want the blue eyed Vulcan to force him into such a state of primitive actions. Why take life when you could change one?

What he wanted was a simple life with her, a family to love and grow, a wealth of knowledge to discover and a home for them to rest, everything else he was content to take it as it was. _Kaiidith_.

Spock cradled her closer, licking and kissing the skin along her neck with a questioning need in every touch. Nyota answered him back with a kiss of her, turning in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck and twisted her mouth against his. _Hers. Ours._

Her thoughts soothed what little the kisses weren't able to and he came over her in a huge crushing embrace. _His. Theirs._

As their lips pushed open and their joined their tongue in a torrid glide of heated twists, Spock's hand skimmed up her side and towards her face. He wanted to meld as they had once before and Nyota felt herself tingle in anticipation. _Yes, again._

As buzzing hum stirred them from their thoughts and mouths as the voice of Commander T'Nar came over the room sound system.

-Attention crew and passengers, we will be reaching _T'khasi_ gravitational orbit within _leh-wun_ _lirt'k_ and _leh-sheh hirt'k_. All passengers please report to shuttle bay for deployment. Welcome.-


	4. Chapter 4: Pit of vipers

**_Back on Earth_** **: Oratt's POV**

Something sharp, hot and wet was at his throat. Oratt stirred on the bed and cautiously opened his eyes to his bondmate on top of him. He closed his eyes back with a hum and arched his throat up towards her gaping mouth. " _Ha, K'diwa, t'du_."

T'bes answered him with a lick along his windpipe. She was certainly playful this morning. He ran his hand through her hair and thought over her possible reasons. Was it a holiday? An anniversary of some sort. A sharp pricked his skin had him emitting a pleasured gasp as she gave him a tender nip. Hmm so not a special occasion then.

She nuzzled the tendon running down towards his shoulder and purred against his skin. He felt his lok stiffen as her thick body pushed against his. Oratt closed his eyes with a shudder and opened them back to the female who was provoking him. Saucey thing his mate had been since he had experimented with some of the acts he saw within Spock's mind.

Tasting his mate's quim had been especially agreeable for both of them and T'Bes had been ardent in returning the favor. Now with his appointment on the council his bondmate had grown much more amorous.

For all her Vulcanness, T'Bes had acquired the human tendency to worry. It didn't matter the percentage of the statistical probability she was concerned about matters both large and small. One such vexation had been his station as Captain of the guard. She was anxious about his safety in such a occupation and as a result had put off bearing children until she felt things were more stable.

Where T'Bes saw herself being sensible, Oratt had seen the refusal for offspring as a lack of faith in him to stay logically out of harm's way. The debates over children had been aggressive and numerous. That she actually desired kanlar of their own did not help matters as they used the fact to lance into the other's argument. The indecision hung between them like a ragged wound, festering within the bond and making the want for connection burn like physical ache.

Oratt would not force her in the matter outside of the call of his time nor would T'Bes simply give into bearing young for the sake of his pride. The intercourse they did have was typically spent with T'Bes trying to look unaffected as he mate rutted above her and made a hot, wet mess on her skin and their sheets.

She was not without reason. When they had first crash landed, many Vulcans had met their fate on the plains of the mara from man and beast alike. It had been some time since such incidents had occurred but still T'Bes worried.

He was the captain of the sentries, there was no order he would give his command that he wouldn't carry out himself and some of the objectives they carried out brought them close to the native population and the territory of big game. What assurance did she have that he would come home to her at the end of his shift?

As soon as it was announced that Oratt was to take a vacancy within the council chambers however T'Bes had been lifting her skirt and offering her mind to him earnest. She wanted her mate, she desired a family with him and the sooner the better.

Oratt's throat rumbled in warning at her encroaching hands as they slid up the side of his torso and up towards his face. He seized them quickly and huffed with amusement as she quietly huffed her displeasure.

Vulcan males while physically stronger were no match to the females by way of mental faculties. Whether melding or emotional suppression, the females were always more capable and at ease at the mental call of their nature. As a result they could subdue and capture males with a particular meld of their minds. It was not easy, males fought physically the whole time to try and avoid enthrallment which taxed the females' concentration, but it was nonetheless possible.

T'Bes had been very domineering with taking control as of late, ensnaring his mind and pushing his body until the whole of his sac felt it had been wrung dry. As much as he enjoyed their coupling he did not care for being made mentally submissive to his mate every time they joined their bodies together.

" Let me meld with you." she said in a near whine. Oratt admired the slight pout on her lips as she pulled at her captured hands and sighed in defeat.

" Not this time my little tyrannical _reldai (princess)_ " he drawled, pulling her down to nuzzle her face. Her cheek was soft and warm like most of her full figure. Oratt had always adored her shape, soft, lush and incredibly tender.

As much as their Vulcan nature ignited their base nature while mating, Oratt found nothing compared to the slow, sensual pleasure of taking his mate gently and at his leisure. Of course the sluggish pace drove his small companion mad.

He drew her scent in through his mouth and ran it over his tongue. She fertile, perhaps this morning would be the day...

" I am hardly a tyrant princess, braggart." she huffed nipping his jaw.

Oratt hummed at the sting of her teeth and tightened his grip on her wrists. " You tempt me to take you now."

" Taste me first." she crooned at him, rolling her hips against him. He watched her with hungry eyes as if he were thinking the idea over. He had no plan to forego putting his mouth between her legs but it was...satisfying to see her begging for it.

He would have to thank Spock once again for the vision pleasing his bondmate in such a way. His male kin had made no mention of it, their time was not to be spoken of though the hybrids had been loose with those rules given their circumstances.

T'Bes had never shown any inclination to have him do it but leave it to the quiet, stoic S'chn T'gai to come up with such a garish deed to break the frigid tension of intimacy between them. It appeared that T'Bes had held her innermost desires at bay, those she thought would repulse him in their illogical functions. The meld they shared during his first sup between her legs however found him quite amenable for experimentation.

" _Oratt_ …" she mewed, with her mien faltering.

He looked up at her with bright, teasing eyes while maintaining his physiognomy. " _Ha, K'diwa_."

" _Sanoi_ (please)...!" she whined.

He hummed in amusement and slowly blinked up at her. " _Please what, ashayam_?" he crooned in his mother's native tongue. T'Bes enjoyed hearing him speak Arabic, found the sound of the words strangely arousing. As he implored again Oratt could feel her grow wet through the hold on her wrist.

" I want it all." she huffed.

In a cruel jest he open his mind to her fully, flooding their bond with his want of her, inundating his female with lust that made her arch with silent, gaping mouth. She had nearly come but just as she rose along the crest he tucked his mind back away from her.

T'Bes's chest rumbled with a silent growl as she narrowed her eyes at him. " Stop being a-"

" _That attitude will gain you nothing._ " he said, smiling with his eyes. " _I'd just as soon take you now and leave you longing for my mouth but…_ "

Carefully using his strength he pulled her straddling form up by from his waist and over onto his chest. A happy thrill from her skin raced down his arms as she adjusted her legs and scooted closer. The scent of her arousal mingled with the tingling lust brimming up beneath her skin as Oratt moved her hands to the wall in front of her and held them. " Do not move your hands."

T'Bes sniffed humorously as she did as she was told. " Do you not trust me?"

" _Speaking plainly, K'diwa, sexually I do not._ "

" Does that mean you never enjoyed yourself…?" she cooed wiggling her hips. He swatted her bottom with a huff and pulled her sex closer. " _I doubt your ignorance of my enjoyment. Was your name on my lips or my seed in your belly any indication of my pleasure_?"

Hedonistic glee ran through her at his words and his fingers twitched along her thighs. She liked that, him being coarse, another little piece of knowledge he picked up from Spock. Oratt smoothed his hands up her legs until he had a firm hold of her backside, palming a cheek in each hand.

" _Let this one know if you question his enjoyment at anytime. This one will always offer clarification about his person._ " he sighed against her mound. Snaking his long green tongue across it, he held her still as she jerked on his shoulders. " Oratt!"

He pulled her closer, his scratchy tongue languidly stroking along the soft, slick folds pushed around his mouth. He peered up from behind his lashes and was pleased to see his mate's dark eyes shut tightly and her sharp incisors worrying her bottom lip. Her nails dug into the wall with each swipe, kiss and suckle.

He never knew the passion that was housed inside his bookish bondmate until his pon farr. His memories were hazy but his madness had become her own. T'Bes met him stroke for stroke, clawing, biting and marking him as hers. Her face then looked as it did now, the rich, dark brown of her skin looking wet with dew, her lips parted as if sighing while her delicately arched brow was tilted up mournfully.

Each time she neared her release her mouth ran off from her. The most illogical, filthy babble he had ever heard came spouting from her mouth and he could not help but draw pleasure from it as well. He purred at the thought of one particularly lewd proposition and felt T'Bes's legs clamp down tightly around his face. Whether the it was the vibrations running up his tongue or the shared remembrance of his pon farr linking through his skin he wasn't certain but T'Bes whimpering above him like a crying human.

" Yeeessss." she hissed out with a sob. " You may take this one there. And there. And if it would please you want there as well…"

Oratt's eyes flashed as her mind pictured him doing just that, his lok filling her mouth, working furiously between her legs and then finding his release inside the tight knot of her anus. Cupping her behind more firmly he pushed his flicking tongue inside her and nuzzled his nose against the small hooded bud above it. / My soft dove, wet this one's face with your pleasure./

T'Bes lost all composure as she keened within her closed mouth and gushed across his face. Her back bowed forward while her nails left a pale line in the rock while she raking them down the wall. Oratt made an unbecoming groan into her heat as her climax batted against him, imploring his own to come as he held himself at bay.

Gently Oratt pulled her down towards the pallet and reached for his seam of his sleep pants. He pushed them down enough to free his lok and grabbed his mate by her calves. At his touch T'Bes's limp limb contentment seeped into him, ebbing away at his restfulness. Suspiciously the prospect of curling up to sleep beside her after intercourse came to mind with an enticing draw.

" You are going to make me late this morning." he growled huskily, eyeing her lush frame.

T'Bes gave him a sleepy blink as she playfully pulled against his hold on her legs. " I do not care."

He dragged her bodily towards him angling his hips so his lok bumped against her dark green quim. He kissed her soundly on the mouth from a human inclination to do so, nipping at her tongue and lips while rolling his lok between her folds. He continued his torturous affections until she was pulling at his hair and ears with needy little huffs. Dragging his lips down her neck his hand went up to caress her face, tugging at her mind as his fingers brushed along her psi points. T'Bes curled hungrily into his touch, exhaling as his mind sank into her with a heady thrum. " Mmm I very much do not care for you being late now." she sighed.

He looked down at her with a dark fondness and dipped his head to nip the tip of her ear. Nibbling along her ear he whispered softly. " You will, T'Bes, once I am done with you."

He allowed himself a few moments to savor her. As he walked he could still recall the exact amount of pressure the knots within her, the softness of her curls as he cradled her in his arms and the taste of her skin as he laved at the mark he placed upon her shoulder.

He wanted to sleep as she had 'suggested' earlier but he was already late as it was. Vulcans were never late, he had never been late but then again he was also human and madly taken with her.

Oratt gave brief nods to those who past him, bearing his new title and robes as best he could. Oddly enough he spied one of the Lord K'goah's sons, V'wen out along the path ahead of him. Both he and his brother Jasif had stayed behind Earth to see to their father's seat on the council and attend to their house while he went off to Vulcan with their sister T'izh, most likely to secure her a bondmate and his presence there. That one member should be late was odd but two would have the council reconsidering their appointments.

Though it was unbecoming to be seen rushing Oratt was curious to see why V'wen would be late. A quick jog had him at his side moments later. V'wen gave him a momentary look of disgust at the sight of him running but quickly recovered as Oratt drew closer. " _Shikhosu_ Oratt."

" _S'haile_ V'wen, strange that we should both be tardy."

V'wen face went blank as he gave a light bob of his head. " So it is. I may brother had business that detained me longer than I anticipated. The fault is mine for trusting his calculations. What detained you, _shikhosu R'tch_?"

Oratt glanced away towards the door before them held it open for him to enter. " My bondmate."

V'wen sniffed and continued in as if he hadn't spoken. Oratt fought to cool his face and followed after him. The K'goah was just as human and Vulcan as he but he took his placement within his clan very seriously. Such causal talk with a middling if not common house like Oratt's was beneath him.

R'tch's clan had come from ta'Valsh, a small community to the west of Gol where the K'goah hailed. They had taken on Surak's teachings like all over Vulcans who had been united when the time of enlightenment came upon them but they held fast to their tiny nation's values like god worship and spiritual pilgrimages.

As a result they were best known for guiding those who wished to visit remote temples, carving out catacombs and fashioning asenoi. The K'goah on the other hand had been more liberal with taking on new cultural rites, leading to their success in as artisans of the royal court. Oratt knew that even with his new appointment V'wen probably saw him as a hickish peasant that was a poor imitation of their own clan.

His father had once suggested courting T'izh as a bride but he had refused. A well bred, mild manner beauty that she was, Oratt's mother had put it best by describing her family as a pit of vipers. Besides that he was drawn to T'Bes and she seemed accepting of his overtures. When he bonded with T'Bes T'izh appeared happy for them but it was her brothers V'wen and Jasif that were offended by his 'rejection' of their sister.

He sighed and followed the Lordling in, reconciled to the possibility that the first few meetings might be discordant.

It was odd being the one of those at the table instead of before as he took his seat between Odva and V'wen. The lady favored him with a small nod when he gave his apologies for his dilatoriness and went on to open the meeting for discussion.

Oratt found the talk of the long range communication portable station fascinating along with the accounts of the goods the V'tosh Vulkansu left behind to have divided up among them but he could not seem to focus. His earlier irritation with V'wen had morphed into a splitting headache. Absently he rubbed at his shoulders and his temple trying to relieve the pain but it continued to gnaw at him despite the K'goah's non-provocation.

He focused on his breathing moreso than their talk of T'Kaas and Ikeno's departure to the neighboring tribal nations for a peace alliance and invitation to the compound for a judgement and ruling against the Rovoc and his herdsmen brethren. Oratt noted the villages being visited vaguely but the growing sense of unease was now down burning at his belly. Surely he wouldn't soil himself here?

When shook in his seat he noticed the curious glances the others gave him but he had no explanation as to why he felt so ill and angry. It was not his time and he could not recall his meals being anything that would upset his stomach or head.

Lady Odva paused between ending the business of goods and addressing the crimes of the herdsmen in the second settlement to give him a concerned stare. " Councilman, are you well enough to continue?"

Oratt shuddered and twitched his head. His body felt clammy and on the verge of panic. He felt like he couldn't breath and his earlier anger had turned to sharp, chest clenching fear. He opened his mouth to speak but they were met with his silence.

Lady Odva slid over her mug of water but he shook his head in refusal. His throat felt so swollen that he doubted he could get the liquid down even if he wanted to drink. When his voice finally did come back to him it was in the form of a sob. He clapped his hand over his mouth and looked away in disgrace. What was happening to him?

" Oratt, what bothers that one?" she prodded.

He shook his head once more and chanced another embarrassing expression of emotion. It was his mind's call to soothe him that enabled him to settle down enough to speak. " I am unable to assess why my body's control is not-"

" Councilman Oratt!"

The council turned to see a winded Jasif and Nirak storming through the door with their robes billowing behind them. They seemed to be as panicked as he felt and at their face Oratt felt a tendril of dread coil inside his mind.

Nirak smoothed his robes and gave a curt bow. " The guard found me on my way to back to the temple along with Jasif and bid us come to you right away."

" What is it, _Hakausu_ (healer)." V'wen ordered imperiously. " Enough formality."

" T'Bes was outside the gates...she has been taken…" Nirak said halting.

His chair fell back with a loud clanging as Oratt shot out of his seat and looked at them with burning eyes. It was her! She was calling to him, she was captured and he...he...! Green filled his vision as an anger burned through him that was so great he thought he would burst. He hadn't felt so helpless to his rage since he was a kanlar still untrained.

" WHO!" he roared, uncaring at his human nature's abiding alongside his Vulcan covetousness. " Who has taken her!?"

Jasif averted his gaze to the floor and spoke softly into the quiet chamber. " The Maasai of Namanga."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I had someone comment on AO3 about a need or want of a family tree chart or something to that effect. Would you all be interested in that as well? I can tack it onto one of the future chapters or better yet put it on the end of the first chapter if you all want the reference. Let me know. We're back on Vulcan in this chapter. Things will feel a little hurky jerky and for that I apologize but these things are suppose to be taking place at the same time, just different places. Without any further ado

 ** _On Vulcan_** **: Amanda's POV**

Amanda studied the landscape from the window as the shuttle made its descent from Vulcan's shimmering thermosphere into the hazy coral color of the troposphere.

Her face was as schooled as the Vulcans surrounding her but inside she felt as if she had fallen into madness. Not only had she been married to an alien but now she was staring down at his home planet light years away from her own. Vulcan's twin and their two suns loomed above them like bright, angry eyes at their intrusion as if studying the fair weather humans. The alien sky gave her pause. She didn't belong here.

When the ship was first approaching the binary star system looked like a jumble of suspended marbles with Vulcan being one of the more stunning planets with its golden red glow. As they draw closer in the shuttle however Amanda now saw a wealth of color to the desert world's surface.

Vast carpets of sand dunes were scattered below in a stunning variety of colors from the some rich red she saw earlier to more dramatic tones like pale blue and jade green. Her eyes searched desperately for trees or any other signs of life but it all look abandoned.

And the water. It was dirty looking green, almost malachite in color and spotted along the planet's surface in small, pitiful increments. Why did it have so little water? The three largest bodies of water appeared bigger than Indian Ocean did when mapped in textbooks but Vulcan was far larger than Earth in size. How did life survive in such a place?

" To your right you will be able to view Shikhar and below that stretch of maroon metamorphic rocks there is Gol."

Amanda blinked up at her husband in surprise. If she didn't know any better she would say he almost sounded as if he were going to cry. She supposed she would too if she were to ever go back home herself. As it was she had been much like Sarek had been never thinking the concept possible but here they were aboard a spacecraft hovering above a place which for him was so intimate but foreign now from time's passage.

Amanda brushed her fingers over the back of his hand and was not surprised to find the emotion of feeling too much at once now welling up inside of him. Amanda hugged her potted Vlei lily to her chest and did not attempt to touch him again. She would leave him to his thoughts and give him no more to ponder. Besides she had quite a few of her own.

Behind her she heard the hybrids and humans of the expedition talking amongst themselves in their own expression of excitement, whether exclamations or rapid murmurs. She heard Nyota and Spock's voices among them and turned to see a scene that warmed her.

There the pair stood gazing out the window at the new world below. As Nyota gestured with her finger towards points of interest Spock nodded his acknowledgement and rubbed his hand against hers. It was a tender scene that she was happy to see unfolding between them.

Her daughter in law had changed into one of her more ornate shuka decorated with red and white stripes with black diamond dotting the white field. Her dress beneath was black, whether to symbolize her people or the _Terra V'tosh_ 's struggle Amanda couldn't be sure.

Spock had since changed from his traditional garb and was richly dressed with a garment the Vulcans aboard had supplied. The robe that they fitted him with seemed pretentious in her eyes, much too fine for the wear and tear that she knew his clothes normally saw but beggars can't be choosers now could they?

Amanda and the other humans had yet to receive any new clothing but perhaps they only thought they would be retrieving just a few Vulcans as Sarek's PADD had only been able to transmit and not receive. But then again her husband was very meticulous with all his work whether note taking or listing references. Surely he would have mentioned his human wife…?

Maybe that was is it then. They were human and they had their own clothing and customs so outfitting them in their V'tosh clothing would have been seen as forcing themselves onto the aliens. Not that some of them hadn't already done that in more ways than one…

As it was Amanda was just happy for the sheer amount of modern trappings she was able to indulge in. From the hot, pulsing shower with rich, scented soap, more shampoos than she could hope to try to the giant fluffy towels and a bed, an honest to god bed, with a mattress and duvet that was so plush she could sink her body halfway into it she was in hog stinking heaven.

Sarek had really rounded it off with that lovely version of coffee they drank, hot and bitter to curb the sweetness of the jellied cubes of fruits and vegetables they served beside it with fat, crunchy crackers that actually made her tear up. It was like she was being rescued from the wild and stowed away in a luxe hotel. It was a better version of the truth which was she had been recaptured by the same aliens who had stolen her in the first place. But this time these Vulcans believed in serving brunch.

The silken spray on sunscreen the Vulcans peppered them with tickled her nose with the false scent of citrus, making her mouth salivate even though she was completely full off the ship's fare.

Idly she wondered if the strange light beam they cast over her and the other humans eyes would actually protect their vision like that of the Vulcan's second set of eyelids or just give them tumors. They didn't feel any different and the light beyond her still seemed overly bright.

Not for the first time did she wish that she had been kidnapped with sunglasses, a crate of liquor and a obscenely large box of Belgian chocolates. Or Swiss, she wasn't that picky.

The shuttle's engines switched fuel types and had the walls buzzing with the reverberating power. They were landing she thought looking out at the landing pad below. It was a fury of activity, a number of people dressed in skin tight uniforms were darting back and forth between a cargo bay and the landing pad while an enormous crowd was gathered around both. Well they were bringing aliens here weren't they?

She saw Sarek turned from the window towards the back and she followed suit to find one of the uniformed Vulcans like the ones she saw outside standing in the hallway. Once he had gathered all of the Vulcans' attention ( some of the human were still talking amongst themselves) he began to speak. " The Vulcan council has sent an emissary to greet you before we relocate you to a temporary housing center."

" Can we not go to our homes?" Lord Yonulsu asked. Amanda looked at him as he spoke and noted the bright, silver robes that he and his family were dressed in. It oddly suited them, like a peacock with its beautiful but gaudy feathers. She pulled on her white linen button up now yellow with age and adjusted the belt on her shorts.

If she was going to do some exploring she'd rather do it in western wear and hiking boots. After his pon farr had past Sarek had retrieved whatever her research team had set aside to throw away. The luggage storing her clothing was of no use to her crew. Amanda had been the only women on the expedition so they wouldn't have thought to reuse her clothing for themselves.

Most of the neighboring Maasai had turned up their noses at such garments so there was only a slim chance that the local nations had taken it. None of the men would want their wives dressing like in their opinion, a western man. They would have probably donated it to a thrift store in Nairobi but again their was the question of lugging it all back to the capital.

She was grateful either way, happy for the freedom her old clothing afforded her and the familiarity the pieces had. She had worn a number of surround tribes clothing but had yet to feel the same ease with running, climbing and squatting in a dress that she had with shorts or trousers. And bras! As much as she hated them, running without one was just…

She shook herself from her tangential monologue and focused back on the uniformed Vulcan. " A number of your houses are currently occupied. The residents and your relatives are still in the process of being contacted about those we found alive and here among you. You are able to see our logic in this, _S'haile_."

" Of course." Kal replied flatly. _Oh he saw it alright but he didn't like it one bit_ Amanda thought. As if a logic driven people would have left unoccupied houses stand by idly unused and gathering god knows what inside. As if the crew members' families wouldn't have moved on. At least _he_ got a robe she thought with humorous envy.

" You mentioned on our voyage that our families have been contacted, are they present within the crowd?" Stonn asked.

With a curt nod of his head the gray clad Vulcan replied. " Yes, a number of them are present to receive you."

" May we lodge with them?" Stonn followed up.

" You may if they will have you."

A silence followed thereafter as the meaning of his words hit home with some of the original crew. Some of the family present might not be as enthused to see them as they were. They had been gone a long time as she thought earlier, most likely with new bondmates, probably with children. And their parents in some instances may have passed on, never knowing the true fate of their children...

All these Vulcan had moved on as best they could but then the phantom crew came back, reopening old wounds. No doubt having to face the reality that they were still alive was just as painful as when it was first announced that they were lost expedition.

Looking around the group Amanda felt Sarek's curiosity as she shot up her arm. The uniformed Vulcan tilted his head in confusion but took a guess and called on her. " Yes... _T'sai_."

" If you, the emissary or the council do not have any objections, my husband and I would love to have the honor of being ambassadors for our party. Him for his crew and fellow Vulcans and I for the humans accompanying them."

Lord Yonulsu shot her a scathing glare while she merely smiled at him. _Yeah I did that and there's nothing you can do about it, you prick._

" Of course, _T'sai_. And what of the hybrids? Who speaks for them?"

" Our son would be honored." she replied kindly with Sarek's nod to back her word.

" As would our daughter." Kal tagged on. He inhaled with a ghost of a smile and continued to Amanda's annoyance. " We would not want to burden the house of S'chn T'gai with _all_ the diplomatic duties. I am sure there will be points during our visit that they will be grateful for the additional members."

" Members?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

Kal was doing quite the opposite with his, the large, dark orbs folding in amusement. " Of course her bondmate will sit alongside her during the council meetings."

Amanda neatly cleared her throat and gave a smile that did not meet her eyes. " That is quite a generous offer but I would say that lady T'Pring _and_ her mate are unfortunately unqualified for the position that you're volunteering them up for."

Kal's eyes narrowed with a lift of his brow. " Is that so."

" Yes, you see, it might be a tad bit odd for full blooded Vulcans to speak on behalf of those of mixed heritage. Yes I could see them being along for the cause but perhaps lady K'goah would be more qualified for the position as complex an issue as it is?"

Lord K'goah nodded his agreement pushed his daughter forward with a light hand. " My youngest is amenable to being of service and voicing her logic."

T'izh bit her lip and gave a slight nod of her head. " This one is here to service."

Kal's nostrils flared minutely as his eyes darted between the faces of the two families with latent frustration. " It seems my families' voice is not needed here."

Amanda made a thoughtful sigh much to Sarek's amusement and shook her head. " Your offers for attending to our community's needs are appreciated _S'haile_. You're heart was very much in the right place."

" My affection has nothing to do with the matter, I only operated by logic."

" Well it seems logic still won out so win win, right?" Amanda chirped with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Kal's mouth went into a thin, pale line and she had to pinch herself not to chuckle. Oh he was furious! Ha, if only she could record this moment in time so she could reflect on it at her leisure.

Sarek caressed her wrist and she received a mental image of the scowling Lord before her with rich details. Amanda shot Sarek a doe eyed look and winked at him for his unexpected gift. God she loved her husband.

" Without any further ado, let us depart. The council has appointed each family unit with an intermediary to ease your transition here to present day Vulcan and its culture. If you would follow me This one will lead you out of the bay. Welcome to Vulcan both old and new."

The crew member turned on his heels and led the way down the hall and towards the turbolift. Quietly the small contingent of clans clumped together and followed after him, Spock and Nyota just behind her and Sarek followed by the K'goah's. Kal and his clan were of course in front but it made no difference to her. It was too be expected and of no consequence now.

She had secured her family valuable time in the presence and with the ear of the council which seemed to be the ruling body on this planet. She didn't need to be Vulcan to know how power worked, just the people who had the illusion of having it.

Political power was unlike its physical counterpart in that its strength could be easily weighed and measured. Brawn was tangential in its nature and could be gained by discipline but the power of people over people was equal parts charisma and believable fiction.

If you could summoned up enough goodwill and belief, there would be those that would follow you blindly on loyalty alone. Logical or not, trusting a person was a leap of faith in itself. Who was to say you truly ever knew someone at all?

Sarek stirred her from her grim thoughts by holding his fingers against hers as he caught sight of the open bay up ahead and the awaiting crowd gathered along the shuttle's stern beyond. The growing pit in her stomach melted as she felt his unwavering affection for her in the midst of his desire to see his family.

Though she would have never acknowledged it aloud, the thought had crossed her mind that whatever feelings Sarek had for T'Rea might be rekindled and she would be left in the lurch. The bold touch of his hand however bespoke his claim and affinity towards her. Sarek was neither embarrassed or left wanting with Amanda, his human. She had not been a matter of convenience as others might have viewed her but the best thing aside from his sons that had ever happened to him.

She had very little time to dwell in the comfort he gave her as a series of instructions were shot in their direction and to that of the surrounding crowd. They were going to be escorted to an atrium in the ship hanger beside them to receive their family and friends and while those with family ties would be sorted out from the curious gawkers.

 _Photo ops with the human aliens_ Amanda sighed. She knew it would come sooner or later. At least being around family would lessen the blow she thought for the crew. She hoped everybody would have someone here.

Faces in the crowd watched them with rapt fascination in a quiet drone of voices. The hanger bay's doors were wide open like some huge, dark maw waiting to spit them out as they approached. They filed out of the large gaping exit and were immediately beset with the planet's gravity and heat. The face that she had so patiently practice to sooth into a look of serenity crumbled as she looked up up scathingly at the two sun hovering closely above her. The humans among them made stilted gasps at everything not that she could blame them.

The heat of the air felt like Kenya during the height of its dry season though there was no way of knowing if this was the hottest it could get. Their combined heat was offensive but not intolerable as they slowly made their way off of the bay's ramp onto the hot ground below.

Her booted foot tapped against the ground with the extension of her leg but she had to actively think to bend her knee slower as her foot felt like it was trying to embed itself into the dirt below her. The effect gave Amanda the impression of slogging through thick, cloying mud like that of the Amazon. Horrid trip that was after a fatiguing bout of malaria but at least she was free of the choking, ever present humidity here on Vulcan. But this damned heat!

"...the bloody hell is this shit…?" she muttered quietly to herself. The last time she encountered such baking temperatures was in Northern Kenya up on her way to Lake Turkana to visit the tribes residing near Sibiloi.

The lunar looking landscape she past as she traveled looked very much like the one before her now, rocky with little sign that life could ever exist there but just as with her observation there it was clear to see that life had found its way to openingly defy nature's harsh regard.

She could hardly see anything beyond the gathered mass of bodies, the wavering heat and white glare of the suns' light made looking beyond the gathered Vulcans almost unbearable. On second glance the land reminded her more of Sudan, with its intense temperature around 41C and mixed desert scenery but she couldn't ignore the sights, smells and sounds that were very much not in step of her native world.

Everything had a strong scent of minerals to it like the Vulcans themselves, like chalk or spiced talcum powder. The air had a strange juxtaposed of being thin but heavy. She was walking but breathing a bit like she had been jogging and her body felt like it had been encased in something that was finer than water but thicker than air.

Sarek took it all in stride, drawing in a deep breath with a relieved, rumbling hum. He rolled his shoulders against the gravity and she imagined the weight of it for him felt like putting on a favorite jacket, snug and familiar. It was probably the first time in ages that he felt fully contented in his surroundings and the thought struck her chest with an aching throb of pity. She definitely got how odd it must have been for him on Earth, breathing the thick oxygenated air as his body moved unnaturally fast in a near constant state of cool dampness.

What she first took for planes in the distance turned out to be large silver bird like creatures slipping seamlessly through the air like fish through water. Their shiny plumage glinted in the light like a mirror reflecting down onto the ground prismatic crystalline light.

One such _bird_ did a aerial twist, dazzling her eyes in a series of jarring flashes before swooping down and gobbling a smaller flying creature whole that had been equally stunned by the light display. The scientist in her found its feeding behavior astounding while the human was wary to praise it. It made her feel weak, ignorant but mostly out of place. Everything was made for this world while her soft, very water dependent body was not. She couldn't help but feel woefully unprepared.

Amanda peered back towards the crowd of passive seeming onlookers, all staring at them unabashedly as they shifted quietly from foot to foot to get a better glance at the different people in their group. A number of them had their eyes trained on her and Sarek and she got the dreadful feeling that they were more of a thing than she had given them due thought.

In all their time together she had never asked after what he wrote in his log entries. Everyone was entitled to their bit of privacy and for her it had been her mind with his telepathic touch being able to gloss over any thought of interest. Each kept to themselves unless they were willing to share but for the most part she was never bothered enough to know. Now however she found herself blushing furiously, not from the blazing air surrounding her but the introspection these strangers probably had about them. About her. Please let him have not written about their sex life!

She saw one young Vulcan about the same shade as T'Bes's father, Gad, staring mooningly at someone in their party. His face look so stricken with earnesty that he stuck out from the crowd.

Amanda followed his gaze to T'izh's busty doll like figure moving gracefully behind her and smirked back at the male at the crowd. An older looking female, perhaps his mother was speaking to him but it was clear that all his focus was given to the African Vulcaness alongside V'las and Nyathera's equally buxom frame.

Still with babies on the brain, Amanda gleefully thought that maybe the pale girl would get that bondmate she had been longing for here on Vulcan? She paused midway through the thought as recalled that Sarek mentioned something about Vulcans on his homeworld bonding at a young age.

She poked at the hole in the of her pocket and huffed. Well perhaps not. Glancing at him again still staring at T'izh with a look she had seen mirrored in her son towards Nyota perhaps there was still hope for her yet. Vulcan males were just as confusing as their human counterparts and there was no female nearby that appeared to be his mate.

A noise drew her attention behind her to find another group exiting the shuttle comprised of human men. All three looked to be bewildered as they were as they were no doubt reeling from the planet's 'warm' welcome. Her eyes widen and her head jerked back in surprise. She couldn't have been more startled by their appearance than she was at present. Even trailing them now with her eyes all thoughts of the exhaustive suns and air were forgotten in her shock.

More?! There had been more humans traveling with them?! " Sarek, _look_ …!" she whispered harshly shaking her head in disbelief. How quickly did heat stroke set in? Maybe they were a mirage?

A handsome looking man of Asian origin turned his head about in dismay of the suns well and slighter looking fellow frowned fiercely up at the sky as well. The blonde gentleman that rounded out the rogue band had a lopsided grin splitting across his face as he shrugged and nodded them over towards the hanger with through escort gesturing in the same direction. _Well I'll be damned._

Her husband looked over nonchalantly but she felt his surprise at the sight. He hadn't known either she thought in alarm. Sarek wasn't one to keep secrets unless he felt the information insignificant but other humans would have been a major to do for all of them had they know they were aboard. Amanda tried to tamp down the disquiet she felt from their 'escorts' lack of forthcoming information.

Why were these men brought here? Had the Vulcans been setting up colonies along the world without her knowing? Had there been more abandoned Vulcans? She mentally reined herself in as her train of thought began to speed out of control. She'd have more questions than answers and then there was the question of how to obtain them. Asking forthright or espionage? It was becomingly distressingly clear that they were in the dark on many things and she was afraid to ponder what matters they might be.

Sarek idly ran his fingers over her palm as he stared after them as well. " How peculiar. I will be sure to look into that." he drawled following after their escort. The other collection of earthlings went off towards what looked to be an office while their group went off to the right towards the hanger. Yes, they would have to look into that and these Vulcans.

Stepping into the building Amanda was blessed with a bit of cooler air being filtered down from the ceiling. The mineral scent she smelled earlier dissipated, overpowered by the sweet, spicy smells of food and drink.

 _Of course they would organize a reception_ Amanda thought padding quietly beside Sarek. She suddenly wished to be back aboard the ship for another shower and nap curled up beside him but this looked to be a bullet everyone was going to have to bite. People were going to be curious about them and Sarek would be hard pressed to deny them his company and take on his survivorship. Which meant there would be a lot of engagements.

Nyota sniffed beside her, turning her head to their left to spy the table decked out with large plates of food. To the right of it stood only what Amanda assumed to be reporters of some fashion. There clothes were brightly colored and sleek, unlike the billowly robes that the Terran _V'tosh_ wore with a variety of differing hairstyles as well. They were equipped with tablets and small metal orbs whizzed above their heads like flies.

Upon their approach they turned to face them in cool Vulcan interest and the floating metal balls buzzed towards them. All of them stopped as the orbs made their way over.

" What are they?" Kibibi asked Nyota quietly.

" I don't know. I don't have a memory for it." she replied.

Amanda tilted her head towards her in confusion. " Why would you have a memory for anything here?"

Nyota's body turned towards her even as she stood watching the rapid approach of the spheres. " When the ship came Spock gave me memories. Sarek's memories."

Amanda stared at her incredulously and then towards her son. " You can do that?"

He nodded but kept his attention on the orbs. " Father imparted the knowledge on how to do so."

Amanda narrowed her eyes over at Sarek all the while he pretended not to notice her glaring up at him. It was only the snappy clicks and whirly noises annoyingly buzzing above them that saved him from her wrath. Temporarily.

She looked up at the flying bots, chirping and zooming around them and wondered over them. Some where drawing a small orbit around them while others dashed off in nonsensical flight patterns.

One male standing off from the group started to come forward, blinking at them slowly with all the pomp and circumstance he could seemingly muster. Amanda knows she shouldn't look at them as being like her but it was hard not to draw comparisons with the knowledge of aliens being such a foreign concept. Maybe this overly robed master of ceremonies was being just doing as Vulcans naturally did? She studied him more closely and noticed the time he took with each step and the languid roll of his eyes as he stared from person to person. Hmm...no…maybe he was just full of himself...

Even in his looks he seemed different. His robes unlike the flashy news crew was a somber russet color with a pattern that shown a pale red every time the light overhead hit it. His hair was neatly trimmed into a terrible bowl cut and his face is a mask of calm. Conceited calm but peaceful nonetheless. Even if she were to compare Sarek to this character, her husband would come off looking more expressive than this guy.

He stopped in front of them and gave a the forked hand salute like that of her own tribe, though she was sure the hebrews had never met up with these characters. Sarek and the other Vulcans signaled the same gesture with their own hands and received his bowing figure with a nod of their heads.

He rose up and surprised her with the richness of his voice. " Welcome lost brethren, honored guests. I am Pal, son of Teel, son of Telar of the house Y'ut H'gln. It is this one's honor to host thee here on this miraculous occasion. Thine houses hath pined for far too long over thine ka'tras and fates and here we all bear witness to the truth of the V'tosh spirit. One of knowledge and one of will."

He paused and the S'haile and T'sai of the group nodded their acceptance of his words. Pleased with their acknowledgement he continued on. " This one has been sent forth with journalists, photographers and heralders to heed your words and record your likeness. The first house shall step forth and deliver thine account of our your time away from us, followed by the next until the last upon which time thou shall partake of food and refreshment with any relatives gathered here to receive you."

He blinked mildly to Kal up in front of them and gave him a stately nod. " Kal, son of Hil'lei, son of Goad of the grand house Yonulsu, step forth with thine family."

Kal rivaled Pal's grand countenance with a verve of his own, probably giving all that did not know him personally the impression that he's nobility was second to only that of a long past emperor. His wife T'nieh was equally elegant, gliding so smoothly in her silver empire bust gown that the train of her accompanying robe fluttered about the floor as if she were hovering behind him with T'Pring attended by her armor clad bondmate looking somewhat dull in comparison.

Amanda sighed loudly at the airs they put on and visibly rolled her eyes. Sarek shot her a look for her to be reasonably respectful and she shot one right back to argue that she was. What she really wanted to do was sneer and suck the air between her teeth while muttering two faces bastards a little too loudly to be polite _but instead_ she settled on just letting them know they were being ridiculous a teeny tiny breath and a bat of her eyes.

Sarek had a momentary look of exasperation and guided her over towards the doors leading to a small patio. Spock nodded after him and spoke with Nyota, perhaps to lend them some time before their turn arrived. She didn't want to be interviewed, not like this.

She had been a scholar, a PHD field accredited biologist. She had been working on her second book about the tribes flourishing in seemingly impossible places with rich, intricate cultures when she had been beset with a whole new race of people. She wanted to be questioned about her thoughts on technological hindering or retrograding human interaction and dependence. She wanted to give lectures on the social dynamic differences between matriarchal societies vs the typical patriarchy designs. She wanted to have her work go on to protect and preserve the people she studied.

She wanted to admired for her hard earned merits and not the curious curve of her smile, brow and ears. For all her work, all her case studies, all her sacrifices would earn her nothing here because her humanity was valued more than her actual being.

She allowed Sarek to guide her outside once more, to a barrier that cordoned off the the hanger's garden patio from the airfield and the milling Vulcans still waiting to greet them. The Building's shadow gave her a small respite and she was able to glance out further beyond the spaceport.

To the far north of them lay the largest and most magnificent red mountains that she had even seen. She knew them to be red from their descent down to the surface but from this distance their hue had an almost violet appearance. In their dim shadow lay a twinkling collection of spiraling rocky towers with hovercraft slowly rising and falling between them. A few skyscrapers were wonderfully wrought, pillars of smooth, polished stone designed in fantastical geometric layouts with glittering spires, giant archways and sparkling framework.

It was too much at once but too marvelous to look away from. It was awe inspiring, elegantly dressed and terrifyingly beautiful, just like _him_. Water came to her eyes unbidden as Sarek's warmth enveloped her mind and she cursed her body for betraying her thoughts. She exhaled softly and batted the moisture away with a quick fluttering of her eyes.

" I always wanted you to see this, to know why I pined for this place but now having you here I am troubled by a deep sense of duplicity. I have stolen you from two homes but my shame comes from feeling none at all. _Kon-sum at'lin du t'nash veh_ ( To be with thee always is mine highest desire)."

Amanda spared Sarek a glance from the red expanse before them and gave the handsome male a slight smile. The preceding sigh had been more heartfelt because of the truth of his words. Here was someone who loved her madly in all senses of the phrase, from drowning her in it during his time to his abduction of her on the mara and his subsequent listing after her when she had tried to leave.

 _How foolish we all are in our notions of romance_ she thought wishing hungrily for a cigarette or something stronger to numb her. True love and devotion wasn't the thing of fairy tales, flowers and happy endings. Adherence to the heart often times led the mind astray.

She had seen in recorded in many a history annual, men dying by the hundreds for their commitment to a cause. Whether the final come to blows had been over freedom, land or honor, it had been the affront towards the love of those things that led them to spill their blood or others in the belief of it. Sarek loved her in such a way, his dedication to their bonding putting him into a self imposed bondage. Both of them, really because even when she had the chance she could not leave him even though she had wanted so desperately. They were...more than themselves after his time, bigger and inexplicably connected. Trying to part for her Sarek had been like carving out her insides, the more she contemplated it the more it felt like she would die.

" No need to apologize anymore dear, I understand. You've always been such the gentleman."

He blinked slowly away from her face and back to the red dunes before him. " No I do not believe you do understand, Amanda hence my regret. I am neither gentle nor a man. I fear that some part of you needs those things and I have kept them from you on the chance that I may lose you."

" But you are gentle with me now." She protested.

" I have been Vulcan with you always in all things." He stated with his eyes cast down. Amanda squinted against the glare of his beweled finery to peer at his face. As usually it held very little in the way of expression that she knew churned deep inside of him but that he remained so still that Amanda knew of his ever present remorse.

He had looked like that once before, when she returned after leaving him. Only this time he wasn't dying off in a corner of their house out of guilt and a bizarrely broken heart. How he could love her as he did then that he would...try and do that...still troubled and touched her.

She took his hand braced on the bannister into her own and squeezed it tightly. He looked up at her in what she could feel to be surprise as her morbid amusement trickled over between their fingers. When he observed her in query Amanda shrugged and huffed out a humorless laugh.

" Yes you have been Vulcan in all things but you've been very human in your lack of knowing what to do."

His head tilted as he thought over her words and they stood their in amiably silence as the wind whipped the sand across the dusky pink horizon.


	6. Chapter 6: Parenthood

A/N: Hey guys hopefully this doesn't get too confusing. There are three POVs being featured in this chapter, Ralek, his bondmate Adia (human and Nyota's friend) and K'ai, Ulihar only remaining blood brother. If you have any questions leave them in a review and I'll try and answer them in PMs. For those I haven't pm'ed yet, my apologies because I super duper love reviews and try to show my appreciation. This chapter was hard to write. Sorry still unbeta'd so typos. I'm posting what I have 'finished' because I'm going to be MIA for church stuff for a while and my MIL is coming to town

She was so beautiful. Not in a default sense of appealing to the flesh but one of maternal grace. Adia was a lovely vision of what a mother looked was. Ralek eyed his mate's peaceful face as she laid still on the pallet. Nirak sat leaning over her, using his hands telepathically to ensure a healthy active bond between mother and child.

Ralek performed the ritual at home as well oftentimes before they retired for bed but they visited one of the healers every seven days or suns as his wife would say to supplement and reinforce his work.

Withdrawing the hands at Adia's temple and abdomen, Nirak exhaled in completion of his task. A few moments later his bondmate's large, dark eyes blinked up at him and gave him a warm, closed mouth smile. Ralek used the bond between them to do the same.

" The kanbu is continuing to grow at a healthy and steady rate. He recognizes his mother's voice and mental touch now and finds comfort when she moves."

" He? It is a male?" Ralek asked, his interest only conveyed by his posing the question.

" Yes."

Ralek went to Adia and quickly knitted his fingers together. They already had their pretty, little Kosi and now they would have a boy. He was overjoyed with the growth of his family.

Adia had been a bondmate that was complementary to his temperament and engaging to the fullest. She loved him in her own, human way and had taken to being a mother quite well. She had been worried about her ability to do so, raising a Vulcan hybrid such as himself but even before she had Kosi in her arms and out in the world he could tell she loved their daughter and would have no such issues. Adia would do anything for their children.

" This one has much joy. Thank you for our son, my jewel." he said twisting his fingers against hers. He ignored the presence of Nirak and used the endearments as if they were alone. Nirak had probably seen his fair share of publicly displayed affection being a priest here at the temple but all the same Ralek could not help himself. Adia and her ability to house life within her were utterly fascinating to him.

" I'm excited too! Heaven help me if he's a junior, I don't think I can keep up with two of you, Ralek." she teased.

" Junior? You prefer him to have this one's name and disposition?"

She smiled now with her teeth, making his heart thudding faster in his side. " I prefer him to be like his father."

Ralek helped her up from the floor and straightened her shirt over her belly. Whatever his temperament their son would be here soon. She was in her tenth moon and due to birth him at anytime now. He could not wait to hold him and have the reality of their second child settle over him.

" You may come more frequently now if you wish." Nirak added gently. " Most whelping females do to ensure a healthy bond."

Adia squeezed Ralek's hands and gave a light shrug of her shoulders. " If I must but I am tired and want to sleep more than anything. We will see. When are Ikeno and T'Kaas coming back?"

Nirak's face stayed still though it looked to Ralek as if he were disappointed. Curious. His wife wasn't dismissing him so much as she was inquiring over friends.

The healer pushed his sleeves together and held his arms in front of him. " I believe it will still be for a time yet. T'sai Odva sent them out just a hours after the others left for Vulcan but even with the time they've had to travel to the villages they still have to impart an appropriate amount of humbleness and humility to the tribespeople. The humans there no doubt want nothing more than to wash their hands of us."

Adia frowned, running her fingers over her long waist length braids. " I suppose you're right. I hope they get back for the birth though. Thank you again Nirak."

He bowed his head graciously and nodded his head slowly. " This one is here to serve."

A clatter of falling pottery jarred them to the hunched form of Rovoc rushing to gather the pieces. Nirak walked over to help him, kneeling at his side as the blinded herdsman felt for pieces along the floor.

Rovoc sniffed and shook his head in the direction of the healer. " This one will clean his messes, thank you, _Hakausu_ (Healer)."

Ralek pulled at Adia's mind from the hold on her hand, prodding her to move away from Rovoc and leave with the two males be. For all that the herdsman had endured under _S'haile_ Sarek's hand, Ralek would never be able to forgive him. Had been on his way to the council to organize a recall of their second homestead of hybrids out to the west when T'Bes had been taken by the Maasai from _T'sai_ Nyota's home village of Namanga.

Oratt had not been himself after receiving the news though he felt something to be wrong much earlier from their bond. Armed and covered in the fashion as his mother's people to the north and east Oratt departed for the compound leaving his seat vacant and Ralek without orders until his return.

His departure did not sit well with Ralek but he was reticent to move boldly against the homestead without further coordination from his former captain and the council. The council could still perhaps aid and command his people to move but he did not...trust them all, not after what little Rovoc had been prompted to confess.

They turned to go when Nirak called after him. " Captain, I would have a word with you."

Adia looked up at him and gave him a quick, human kiss with the press of her mouth to his. " Go on. I'll head home and look after Kosi. I'll see you after you're done with your shift."

Sliding his fingers along her hand, Ralek gave her a tender kiss of his own, successfully teasing a smile from her lips. " Till then." he said, because to say he loved her would have been overly emotional and redundant.

She hurriedly waddled off and disappeared around the corner, though he could still feel her as the distance grew between them. Ralek turned his attention to Nirak and inclined his head. " This one is here to serve."

Nirak nodded and extended his hand towards a pair of chairs accompanying a small stand near the middle of the wall. " Please, if you would. This one has much to say."

Ralek complied, gingerly taking his seat as he wondered over the nature of the matter. Rovoc continue to feel along the floor for broken shards and pieces off in the corner like some pitiful beast who had lost its teeth. Ralek sniffed at him and looked back over to the healer as the ornately garbed male too his seat. He wore a traditional priest's headdress and the diadiem gave his typically muted features an oddly expressive effect. His eyes looked watery as if he would tear up at any moment and his mouth was parted as if in excitement.

Ralek waited for him to start and found himself growing more uncomfortable with the healer's near expression of awe. A minute passed before he licked his lips and leaned in towards the captain. " We here at the compound find ourselves in a virulent situation. The humans have taken up arms against us with their attack on _S'haile_ Sarek's house and with taking _shikhosu_ (councilman) Oratt's bondmate from our own land. Some force must be put into action, something to quell their angry rebellion against us."

Ralek clicked his tongue in acknowledgement but held up his hand in protest of his words. " I understand your concern, _Hakausu_ but action is already in progress. Oratt seeks out his wife and Ikeno and T'Kaas are traveling to parlay with the chiefs of these tribes many tribes. True that our current time is riddled with disgruntled youths and vindictive humans but with logical minds and slow hands we will see this time through more peacefully than taking up arms against the humans. We are the ones at fault, not them. It was our people that trespassed against them."

Nirak's lips pursed into a tight line but nodded gravely as he weighed his words. " Of course, captain, we should by all means remain loyal to our logic and the tenants set before us. I ask you though how long will it take for the humans to run us out of our homes? Hunt us down like the vermin they view us as? We are not so passive that we would allow our destruction, are we? Would not logic dictate are more active approach with them? What if they had taken a _kanlar_? What then?"

Ralek did not entertain the healer's theoreticals, instead showing solidarity with the council and

Oratt. " We have far more troubles than the humans outside our walls, Nirak. There are those of us…" he moved his chin towards Rovoc. " that threaten the very fabric of our society and moral code. We would move against the humans who go against us for attacking them first in lieu of handing down discipline on those who provoked them in the first place? Where is the logic in that? We have left them to their own device for too long as it is."

Nirak exhaled through his nose and tilted his head, studying the asenoi on top of the table. " You would welcome our destruction as much as the S'chn T'gai."

Ralek's head tilted at him quizzically as he heard his friend's name on his lips. What of Spock and his family? What did they have to do with the rapes and pillaging the herdsmen had been taking part in? " What is this foolishness you speak of, Nirak?"

Rovoc rose and hobbled towards them, blinking at them with unfocused eyes as he moved. Nirak folded his hands in his lap ignoring the younger Vulcan's progress as he headed towards them. " What I speak is the grave injustice their clan has performed against us by having us grovel at the feet of inferior beings just so we can scrape by on the scraps they see fit to give us. We did not have a choice to be here but now that we are we can make this world our own, in our image."

Ralek felt his face flush with heat at the crazed Vulcan's words. He was speaking of the old ways...of a time and ignorance that had no place in their world. It had almost ended their race, ravaged their flora and fauna while poisoning their land.

It was the very reason the Vulcans had yet to make contact with the humans. Technology in the hands of those not enlightened enough to use it for good only spelled death and destruction. The V'tosh had learned the hard way and took great strides to prevent other races from having to repeat their history. There were some that had not benefitted from such trials and now ceased to exist. It was all cataloged within the ship's memory banks and stored away in every young Terran V'tosh like the fear of death. " Nirak, you know not what you speak of."

" I speak of Jarok, _Tu'Jarok_." he hummed. " My logic has been enhanced by the acceptance of my emotions."

Ralek's nostrils flared as he narrowed his eyes. He was uncomfortable with the motion of his face but Nirak had piqued his ire into expression. " You speak of a false prophet and way, _ak'spra_ ( heretic)! Surak has given us peace where there was none. The Vulcan soul only obtains it through logic. Those that heeded Jarok's words found their peace in the arms of swords, noxious gas and nuclear fission. I will listen to no more of this."

" A war is coming Ralek, which side will you find yourself on?" Nirak spat.

" I would find myself on the side of logic with every other sane Vulcan here." he hissed. He could not leave this male here in the place of a healer for all. The council would have to find a replacement until-

He roared as Rovoc launched himself into his shoulder and stabbed him with a long shard of pottery. The ceramic piece was not so sharp that it would have been able to pierce his Vulcan skin readily but the force with which Rovoc moved it had it gliding into him like a finger through clay. How had he regained his strength? A glance at Nirak's gleeful face told him all he needed to know as Rovoc blinked down at him with his eyes with totally clarity.

Nirak seized the knife at Ralek's side and cast the blade towards the back of the room. Just as quickly he slapped his hand against Ralek's face and snared his mind, freezing him into submission. " You foolish, foolish male. The S'chn T'gai have no loyalty to you! Where are they to protect you? Off on Vulcan seeking more power and wealth for their own interest? Doting on their human pets like they should be for a Vulcaness? Your death will gain you nothing."

" Death…?" he slurred, fighting hard to regain control of his faculties. What Nirak lacked in brute strength he more than made up for in mental prowess. Against his will Ralek's legs carried him out of the chair and moved him back against the wall. He was unable to do more than breath and blink unless the healer allowed it. Morbidly he thought how relieved he was that his mate had long departed with their child.

Nirak regarded his thoughts with a mild sort of irritation, that he should be pining over the fate of his human wife when he was in mortal danger. His malice then hooked into Ralek's mind with a sharp, jagged hold. His earlier musings about his son withering under the scathing touch of the priest's mind. Spitefully Nirak tore at the daydream, until it was nothing but tattered concepts. Ralek felt the hot, wet slide of his blood flowing free of his nose as the healer's handling continued to accost him.

" I regret to inform you that you will not bear witness to the birth or life of your offspring."

Rovoc handed Nirak a sharpened piece of obsidian from the pocket of his robe and stepped back out of the way with a pleased expression. If he got free, no matter what Nirak did Ralek was going to rip that _bath-pa_ Rovoc's face from his skull. He tried again with a muted grunt to free himself but only succeeded in making himself lightheaded.

" Do not fret this will all be over soon." the healer crooned almost sweetly. Nirak kept his hand at the guardsman's temple as he sank the crude dagger into his middle. The volcanic glass slide into him with an icy burn as if molten once more, hot beyond the point of comprehension. Ralek's body jerked in protest but he remained firmly under the healer's control.

Nirak put his hand back out, palm up and Rovoc supplied him with another mineral shank. " I am quite pleased that you actually remained loyal to your Surak tenants and those that follow them. No offense is meant but having you out of the way makes our rise to power easier. You were always close to the mongrel _S'haile_ Spock. If you were to turn readily or at all I would have always questioned your allegiance to the cause."

Nirak twisted the first knife down deeper and nicked his liver. Ralek sputtered wetly, blood bubbling up with each breath as he fought to regain control of his body. His ka'tra was loosely moving inside him, seeking out his bondmate. Should he die he would rest there alongside her spirit but she was safely out and away from them . A healer's touch and mind would be a good substitute to hold it until a _ka'tra tevikeh-natuhn_ (urn) could be forged but his soul recoiled from the murderous Vulcan's hold.

Nirak watched Ralek as his life bleed out of him with Rovoc as his only witness. The herdsman blinked over his face, eyes smiling with restored sight as he took glee in his demise. Nirak's face was equally pleased as he tapped against the rock at his middle. " I will take good care of your family...my family."

Ralek's eyes flashed in renewed anger and clawed at the healer's mental shackles. Nirak tilted his head and sighed thoughtfully. " Not taking the thought of this one inheriting your family kindly? I could just kill them instead. Would you prefer that?"

Ralek stilled as much as he could and lowered his eyes in submission. Nirak continued on drunk off the power he wielded over him. " Good that you do not. I much enjoy your wife's mind and company as I am sure this one will also enjoy her body. If she pleases this one I shall let your kanlar live on as my own with the memory of you wiped clean of their minds."

Ralek's lips curled into a snarl and with all that he had left in him, lashed out his arm and circled Nirak's neck with his hand, his grip's strength unrelenting and unchecked.

Nirak's eyes bulged out as he sputtered in his deadly hold. Hope trickled up within the gatekeeper that perhaps he could end this monster, protect his family and see them one last time as he used all that he cherished to fuel him on. For a moment it looked as if it would come to pass as Nirak hissed feebly for air. That was until Rovoc took the second dagger and sank the blade into his heart.

The cool rock burn through his skin into his side turning his blood cold as it spilled out with each pump of the muscle. His fingers trembled and Nirak pulled from of his hand with a barking cough. Released of his control, Ralek yelled fitfully into the air as his body trembled uncontrollably.

Cold, he had never been so _cold_ or stiff in his life. His wife's smiling face came to him like an anchor, giving him a brief reprieve on death's wake. He held the vision tightly, his ka'tra calling to her, crying to her to take him with her but his calls went unanswered. As the light grew darker, Ralek allowed himself to rest. " Adia.."

Nirak rubbed at his throat as Rovoc clapped him on the shoulder. " Congratulation, Nirak. You are a father."

xxxxxxx

Adia fell to the floor with a phantom pain so strong she thought she was dying.

His voice had called her name then, for the first time since she could remember, she was alone in her mind. A frightful noise echoed off the walls and it wasn't until Kosi's small, hot hands were grabbing her did she become aware that it was from mouth her.

Adia looked up from floor with wet eyes to see her daughter looking as emotionally as she had ever seen her. Her slender almond eyes shaped like her father's, were narrowed into tiny slivers and brimming with tears as she clutched her belly. Belatedly Adia realized that her child had felt it too, the stabbing burn that had run across her middle and pierced her side. " Mama, it hurts!"

" Oh baby!" she cried, gathering her little one in her arms as she held back her own sobbing to take on the brunt of her daughter's. Kosi keened wildly into the soft knit of her shirt clawing desperately at her mother as if she were at risk of losing her too. That's what had happened wasn't it? They had lost him, Ralek...was dead...

" Oh God...Enkai, no…" she trilled into Kosi's wooly plaits. " No, no Enkai, no!"

She pleaded on but her heart knew the truth of the matter. They had lost him.

When? How? How had it happened?! She had just left him not too long ago and he was done with his shift on sentry duty. He was meeting with Nirak about security matters concerning the surrounding tribes but now...he was dead?

She searched the room for something to anchor herself too as she felt her heart folding in on itself. Gone! He was gone! He would never come home again and tease her, never play with their Kosi, never meet their son...he would never warm her thoughts again through the bond housed within their minds. They would never...She would never…

She shook and held her stomach with a ragged breath. Her and Kosi's anguish was distressing her son. Even with the comfort of her hand he fidgeted inside her, pressing his feet against her belly.

She held Kosi and rubbed her belly, slowing her breathing as she tried to see past her pain for clarity. Gradually she gained a measure of composure and mulled everything over. He had not left the compound, he felt...closer that he would have if he were outside the crater so she concluded he was inside the compound.

The pain she felt first started at her middle, in around her insides before the sharp jabbing sting at her side. He was well when she left him and with the healer at that. If he had taken ill, Nirak would have helped him…

Adia paused over the thought as she remembered Kibibi and Nyota telling her of the S'chn T'gai's trouble. The only other friend to learn it was Esha and they had been shocked to hear that the Maasai attack wasn't as coincidentally as it had appeared. Nyota of the Uhuras spoke of a dissident uprising among the Vulcans unsettled with their deference to the humans, as they saw it. What was to keep them from taking charge of the whole area? Apparently any reasonable Vulcan who disdained the old ways. Like Spock. Like...her Ralek.

A chill came over her as she thought of his death. Without a doubt in her mind, even in the midst of her grief Adia knew her love had been murdered. She did not want to believe it but what else could she logically think to explain the suddenness of his passing within the company of the healer. She had not thought with Rovoc crippled as Sarek had left him that he would have gained influence with Nirak but did she ever really the will and whims of Vulcans to begin with? They were an alien people with a nature she had always found elusive but acceptable given her circumstances. And now they had killed her Ralek.

" Kosi go get your things. Pack them now!"

Kosi had been quietly processing her own thoughts and her mother's as she slumped against her side. She looked up at her now, jarred from her innerworkings. " What do I pack mama?"

" I don't care as long as you do it quickly baby. We're going to Auntie Esha's and then to your grandmother's." she said hurrying to her feet. If Rovoc or any of the others there at the temple killed her Ralek they would most likely come for them as well. She wouldn't allow anyone to touch her babies.

" Grandma Ada's?" Kosi questioned as she went after a bag to pack her belongings.

Adia bit her lip and cursed as she thought of her mother in law. She had meant _her_ mother at _her_ old village not Ralek's but it brought up a good question. Should she go to Ada's home and stay with her or flee the compound all together?

She looked back at Kosi dutifully packing away her clothes before the young girl looked up at her in question. Adia closed her eyes against her face unable to bear the girl's resemble to her father with the unsurmountable angst welling up inside her.

They could not stay here, not when the enemy was unknown in number and by face. Ralek as the new captain of the guard had been unable to see them coming but she would not let his death go in vain. She would protect their children by any means necessary.

" We are going to Esha's and then we will leave for Magabi soon after. You like the antelope, yes? Well we will get to ride one." she chimed, trying to be enthusiastic about leaving. Kosi probably felt her deepening concern about leaving immediately because did not question her false excitement and plans thereafter as she continued to pack.

They were nearly done within a few minute when the sound of the leather hide hanging from the front door made a quick snapping noise. Someone had come in unannounced.

Adia pushed Kosi back behind her and waited for whatever had entered to find them. " Go baby. Hide as best you can."

Kosi took off like a frightened rabbit and dashed over to her room. Once out of sight Adia went to Ralek's belonging and took his spear into her hand. She would have preferred a knife but he had been wearing the only one she knew of. As she took up the pike she figured any weapon that she was unfamiliar with was better than no weapon at all.

She held it tightly, comforted by the weight of the staff as she pointed the tip near the bedroom door. She calmed her breathing as best she could as the footsteps came quick and closer. As soon as the leather flap move back she jabbed the lance as best she could at the intruder.

A quick intake of breath left the stranger but his...it sounded male...reflexes were fine tuned and dodged the metal tipped pole using the the leather hide to snag it away from her hands. Adia jumped back glaring at the Vulcan male before her.

He stepped forward and her face faltered as fear pulled at her mouth and eyes. For a moment she thought he was Kibibi's Ulihar come back from Vulcan but the sight of him was off. He was not nearly as tall, his skin was a pale, clay brown unbroken by freckles and his crested mane was locked instead of braided. Most telling were the two hazel eyes stared back at her instead of one glittering green with its milky colored mate.

"...K'ai…" she concluded aloud. Ulihar's youngest, surviving brother.

He stepped forward and Adia shook her head feverishly. " No! Don't you touch me!"

He paused looking back behind him before coming closer to her again but much more slowly. " We must go."

" I'm not going anywhere with you!" she spat, clutching her belly.

His face was impassive as he looked behind her towards Kosi's room, revealing nothing of his motives or emotions. Hybrid that he was, K'ai was much more reserved than his sibling and most other mixed Vulcans that she knew, speaking with little more than the movement of his eyes and the opening and closing of his mouth.

Why he was staring towards her daughter's bedroom Adia would not entertain in thought. She put her body between him and the room and stared him down. He huffed softly in what she assumed to be annoyance and jutted his chin towards her." Ralek-"

" Did you kill him!? Was it you!?" she growled through her teeth. She was speaking in Swahili, not fluent enough in Vulcan to say what she wanted. " Tell me!"

" No."

" Liar!" she screamed hoping that someone would come to her and Kosi's aid.

" I speak truth. Vulcans do not lie." he said forcefully. " And less you want those that trespassed against your bondmate to show you the same treatment you must leave with me. Now!"

Adia frowned at him as he glared at her. K'ai was certainly not a good natured as his brother or nearly as nice but he was just as adamant. " I don't trust you. I shall leave on my own with a friend that I do."

His hazel eyes softened somewhat as if he were trying to reason with her as a human would but it was clear that he was uncomfortable." I do not fault you for it, especially under the circumstances. He was my captain and your mate and it behooves me as a guard and as his friend to protect his family in his place."

" I don't want your help." she said flatly, crossing her arms and gesturing towards the door. The emotion she saw earlier dimmed in his eyes as his nose flared in irritation. Mind made up the young guard advanced once more leaving Adia little space to back up or maneuver. Even with him being shorter than his brother K'ai was easily as many feet high as Nyota's Spock who was only a head or so shorter than Ulihar.

Adia glanced behind her and seized as she saw the wall and bed behind her. Oh heavens no! " Stop! K'ai, stop it!"

" Be still, no harm will come to you. Calm yourself, you are grieved." he said as softly as she had ever heard him speak. " I grieve with thee but we must depart."

" Don't!...touch me!" she shrieked as his long arms snagged her and pulled her against him. His touch felt wrong, hot and abrasive. She cried out in anguish at the feel of his mind beneath the skin of his hands. He was did not actively touch her mentally but she could feel it there, just beneath the surface, mirroring her distress. _Not hers, not her Ralek_!

She screamed again as he shushed her gently and bid her to calm herself for the baby. " Adia. Be logically please, we must hurry!"

Kosi came out, running like a gazelle and slammed her fist against the side of his head. K'ai's face moved fractionally as her punch landed square on his jaw. " _Bath'pa_!" she cursed him in open rage, pulling back to hit him again. " Release my mama!"

Adia wailed as she saw her daughter front a brave face even as her body shook with suppressed emotion. It was too much for her little one, losing her father, having her mother forcefully handled by another male was all leaving her daughter an emotional wreck. " Kosi! Run!"

Kosi turned her face to meet hers, shaking as she shook her head no. " We're going to Magabi together. Do not-"

K'ai large hand closed over Kosi's shoulder and caught her as she slumped unconsciously down towards the ground. Adia jerked violently in his hand and reared back in venegence. She slapped him with a clawed hand and marked his check with four green lines before doing the same to his chest. She shrieked like a wildcat, punching, kicking and biting every bit of him she could reach.

Not her baby, what had he done to her Kosi?! " Nooo!" she howled kicked into the air. " Not my baby!"

" She is alright! Calm down!" he pressed, gently dropping Kosi and using his hands to restrain her. " Be still we must go!"

But she was beyond comprehension now. The wall she had forged to bank her sadness had been breached when he had touched her and done whatever he had to Kosi. She reeled back against his hold resisting as much as her swollen belly could against his grip.

He peered back behind them again towards the door and pulled her roughly towards his face. She pitched her head to the side with a whimper, wanting him nowhere near her when she felt his teeth clamp down onto her shoulder. Her mouth opened to scream but was silent as the room went black all around her.

Neuak met him at the gate with the others, all using the cover of the growing darkness to shield their departure. In his arms Kosi and Adia slept fitfully. Tears were still running down the human's face while the small female hybrid whimpered like a wounded pup.

K'ai wanted to join them in their lamenting but resisted the pull to do so. He had come looking for Ralek when he heard what he later learned was his death rattle. Too preoccupied with their victory over the guardian, Rovoc and Nirak had not heard him near the door as the healer made plans to take Adia.

He had shuddered as he thought over the now vulnerable family, unaware of their potential fate. Adia was with child and had another still too young to have mastered her emotions. Fearing discovery and no longer able disgust hearing more of their wickedness the young sentry rushed off towards Neuak who had just taken up his shift as his replacement.

The other guard was hard pressed to leave his post until he heard about what had transpired to their new Captain. Visibly shaken Neuak had taken off to neighboring home, asking permission to search the patrons thoughts before disclosing his information and rushing the families to pack their things and wait at the southern gate.

K'ai had saved Adia for last knowing the human female would be distraught but he was not prepared for her rabid defense. Truly, she and Kosi had put up a good fight but he was not there for that.

He struggled to be gentle, knowing the overbearing tide of grief that each harbored inside them but even now he feared he had hurt them as they had with his body. Every touch felt painful, aching, needy as if they were being extinguished from the inside out.

K'ai did not know how much time they had left to make their escape and worried that they would be found and he would be outnumbered in defending them. Panic gripped his control and he wheeled forward and bit Adia on the shoulder. Pressing his tongue against her flesh he triggered her pressure point and sent her to slept.

He had put her down then, backing away with a pained groan. It had hurt, they had hurt so much to touch. He was unable to gain their permission and their minds screamed and tore at him all the while in protest.

In his youth K'ai had been bitten by the same snake that had blinded his brother in one eye on his arm. Even as his nerves burned and his skin blistered and fell loose the black mamba's venom paled in comparison to the mental agony the widow and her daughter had put him through.

He had retched loudly in a corner of the bedroom, swaying on his hands and knees as he willed himself to settle down. Putting his hand to his bloodied cheek K'ai tried fitfully to soothe away the wounds not left on his skin. Though he had wished to spend more time away from them they could not linger any longer. He gathered up their bags, took a deep breath, picked up the unconscious females and headed quickly out the door trying and failing not to touch their skin.

" I need your help to move the gate." Neuak whispered quietly at his side. K'ai looked from Adia back to the other sentry before Lo'ja offered a hand. Esha stared at K'ai as she took the baby in her husband's arms. She was staring at the angry green wound at his face and the small swell at his jaw in clear suspicion. K'ai fought the need to explain himself and instead ignored her, watching as her bondmate and Neuak moved the stone blocking their path.

The crowd hurried out of the tunnel and quickly sealed it back. Not all had permitted Neuak's or K'ai's melding, stating it was overstepping if not breaching their station as guardians of the compound.

Some may have been unaware of the healer Nirak's disturbing lack of logic but not all of them could have been.

His father, glanced over at him as he moved his arms and held the stone in place while the others loaded up the nearby grazing antelope and mounted the steeds. From their bond he too was curious about K'ai bloodied body.

To right K'ai spotted Oratt's parents storing their belongings onto the back of one of the antelope. His mother's golden face was grey and drawn, worry etched into her expression.

" Where are we going to go?" Sydah asked looking down at Wonil from the eland he had placed her on.

" To the first youth settlement in the east." he replied tightening the fastenings.

" Oratt went West." she told him, speaking of their son in almost a frightened tone. " And T'Kaas and Ikeno are still North meeting with the Maasai. What if they could back here to this madness?!"

" Oratt will not come back until he finds T'Bes, so he is lost to us until he does. There is no telling where on the mara Ikeno and our priestess are. We can not go as a whole to find her, we would be far too slow and it would drain what rations we have for traveling. We need to go far to the east, regroup and gain some defenses to protect ourselves should these illogical V'tosh thirst for more blood." he said glancing over at Adia.

Sydah followed his stare and sighed tearfully. Catching K'ai eyes Sydah gestured with her hand to the woman in his arms. " She will need T'Kaas's help in birthing the baby. I have only been a midwife for humans throwing humans not humans birthing Vulcans."

K'ai glanced down at Kosi and her mother and nodded. " We will go in search of them. Then head back to the east to rejoin you." he said resolutely.

His mother shook her head with an ugly face and held her hands. " What!? No! Absolutely not! You can't go! What if-"

His father touched her arm and Kingasunye fell silent at his hand. " _K'diwa_ , let him go. It is within reason for him to seek out the healer for us as well as Ralek's widow. She-who-was-Ralek's will give birth soon and we have others in the same position. We cannot lose another healer or be without one for long." his father called gently from the rock.

" This woman though a good woman is not my son's wife! He should risk his _life_ for her, Ku'li? I should risk another son to the beasts of the mara and the _warm_ welcome of the warrior nations?"

K'ai gestured his chin towards her and down towards where Kosi was nestled against him. " You would have this kanlar possibly lose her mother after losing her father on the possibly that I will be killed? I am not doing anything that I wouldn't do for Ulihar and his bondmate. Ralek was like kin. Were the roles to be reversed he would do the same for my family."

" How could you be so certain, _bebe_? You haven't even taken on your bondmate yet. You still haven't gone through your time! You are still _so young_!" she wept, afresh with old grief from Li'fal's demise. K'ai batted away the urge to sigh and continued to have her see reason. He was learning though that mothers were quite unreasonable when it came to their children, thinking of Adia's fury at his nerve pinch on Kosi.

" _Mekh mekh_ , I am still alive and well but I would not forsake Ralek's family to keep myself from harm. We are all at risk the moment now that the old ways are taken up by the others. I risk no more with these two than I do with you all."

Kingasunye turned her back angrily, unable to find peace in his logic for the emotions in her heart. He knew it but it still pained him to see his mother so upset with him. " Allow me passage with two sables and loaded with whatever food or water you all can spare. I will ride hard to the north between Magabi and Namanga hoping to see them as we go."

" She needs someone with her while you scout." Esha commanded, raising her voice above the din.

It was clear she still didn't trust him with Adia, looking as he did but when he answered her K'ai wasn't looking to reassure her, merely state the truth.

" This one will not leave her side."


	7. Chapter 7: Honor Bound and Logic led

A/N: Family trees will be posted at the top followed by the actual chapter. For those who I know will be concerned, I promise on my heart and hope to cry that there will be wonderful, beautiful, fluffy (and smutty) times with Ny and Spock but I'm trying to settle things down before we get into that. Promise you! Nikkablu fixed all the parts that you see are correct and I did every single mistake there after. Thank you to her and all the rest of you readers for being patient with me. Enjoy and review.

 **S'chn T'gai**

( a royal house, descendants of Surak, patrons of Reah)

High house

Sarek- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) eldest son of Skon, heir of the S'chn T'gai of royal descent, husband of Amanda Grayson, Father of Spock, council elder, former spy/assassin

Amanda Grayson- ( American/Human) wife of Sarek, mother of Spock, PHD anthropologist, a human leader

Spock- (Kenyan/Vulcan) husband of Nyota Uhura, son of Sarek, former occupations steward of Terran biology records and research, shepherd and herdsman, currently on Vulcan with his duty to unify the humans and V'tosh of Terra on hold.

Nyota Uhura- ( Kenyan/Human) wife of Spock, linguistics, human leader, maron/warrior, serving as language teacher for the humans but on hiatus until she returns to Vulcan, Maasai and Bantu.

Silek- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) brother of Sarek, father of Rushan, custodian of the S'chn T'gai estate in Sarek's absence

Rushan- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) cousin of Spock, bondmate of _reldai_ T'Nor, biologist.

T'Rea- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) former wife of Sarek, high priestess of royal lineage, mother of Sybok, priestess of Reah goddess of Death

Sybok- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) son of T'Rea and Sarek, half brother of Spock, Vulcan without logic, missing

T'Pau- ( Shikhar/ Vulcan) matriarch of the S'chn T'gai clan, mother of Skon, wife of Solkar, grandmother of Spock, elder, healer, priestess of the teachings of Surak

T'Lara- (Shikhar/Vulcan) mother of Sarek, wife of Skon, deceased

Skon- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) father of Sarek, husband of T'Mara, crash survivor of the failed survey mission, deceased.

Solkar- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) Captain of the crashed survey ship, father of Skon, grandfather of Sarek, husband of T'Pau, killed in crash.

Common house

T'Pel- (Na'nam Kir/Vulcan)

Ramek- (Na'nam Kir/Vulcan)

Sakketh- (Na'nam Kir/Vulcan)

 **Yonulsu**

( Noble house, patron/high priest(esse)s of Ny'one and T'Priah)

Kal- ( Gol/Vulcan) husband of T'nieh, father of T'Pring, chemist, council elder, priest of Ny'one ( God of fertility), in attendance of his wife when the mission failed.

T'nieh- ( Gol/Vulcan) wife of Kal, mother of T'Pring, noble born Vulcan, biologist.

T'Pring- ( Kenyan/Vulcan) wife of Stonn, keeper of the teachings of Tu'Jarok, mastery over self by embracing emotions

 **K'goah**

( Noble house, royal artisans, practitioners of fine and layman arts)

High house

V'laz - (Gol/Vulcan) husband of Nyathera, first cousin of Ku'li, father of T'izh, V'wen and Jasif, mastery over many Vulcan instruments, court appointed artisan out on collection when the mission failed.

Nyathera- (Tanzanian/ human)

V'wen- ( Kenyan/Hybrid)

Jasif- ( Kenyan/Hybrid)

T'izh- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) unbonded,

Common house

Ku'li- (Gol/ Vulcan) first cousin of V'Laz, husband of Kingasunye, father of Ulihar and K'ai, sculptor and ceramicist, accompanying

Kingasunye- ( Kenyan/Human) wife of Kuli, mother of Ulihar and K'ai, food peddler, Turkana woman

Ulihar- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) husband of Kibibi, bond brother of Spock, senior sentry guard,

Li'fal- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) deceased from _plak tow_ fever.

K'ai- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) youngest son of K, guardian of Adia and Kosi, sentry, Turkana descendant.

Kibibi- (Kenyan/Human) wife of Ulihar, best friend of Nyota, hairdresser, Turkana.

 **R'tch**

( Common house, rural community outside of Gol that oversees spiritual pilgrimages, religious rites, servants of many high houses)

Wonil- (ta'Valsh/Vulcan) husband of Sydah, father of Oratt, engineer, stone mason and glass worker.

Oratt- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) husband of T'Bes, former Captain of the sentry guard, currently seated on the council.

Sydah- ( Egyptian/Human) wife of Wonil, mother of Oratt, shopkeep and food peddler

 **I'gck** **J'aal**

( Middling House, custodians of tomes, books and scrolls)

T'Les ( Gol/ Vulcan) - Pid kom (matriarch) of the I'gck J'aal clan. Tends to the more grand rites of their house. Close associates with T'Pau and oversees Dor's grooming as a Duke/Osu.

Gad- (Shikhar/Vulcan) husband of Ayana, father of T'Bes, engineer, maintenance worker for ship parts.

Ayana- (Pemba Island/Human) wife of Gad, mother of T'Bes, cloth and clothes maker,

T'Bes- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) wife of Oratt, maintenance worker for ship's remaining database and librarian for all paper bound information.

Dor- ( Shikhar/Vulcan) husband of T'naemh, cousin of T'Bes, geologist,

T'Vek- ( Gol/Vulcan) mother of Dor, sister of Gad

 **L'gai Skor**

( Middling house from Dahhannakahr, to the far East of Shikahr)

Sulak- (Ara'kahr/Vulcan) husband of Ada, quiet, stubborn operation director of the ship

Ada- (Pemba Island/Human) wife of Sulak, mother of Ralek, pensive, jack of all traders woman of the community

Ralek- son of Sulak and Ada, husband of Adia, former sentry and current captain of the guard, murdered.

Adia- wife of Ralek, mother of Kosi, pregnant with son, moonshine maker, widowed.

Kosi- daughter of Adia, new apprentice of K'ai, studying to be a sentry as well as a diplomat

 **Rukh**

( Common house hailing from Ara'kahr)

Sfek- husband of Loiyan, father of Loj'a, former navigator and cartographer,

Loiyan- (Kenyan/Human) wife of Sfek, mother of Loj'a, community organizer and fete planner.

Esha- (Kenya/Human) wife of Loj'a, mother of , Adia's best friend, moonshine producer, Kisii

Loj'a- (Kenyan/Hybrid)

Oja- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) eldest son of Esha and Loj'a

Eshan- (Kenyan/Hybrid)

Fa'lin- ( Kenyan/Hybrid) baby son.

 **B'Tve**

( High Middle house, hailing from Del'Kum'Ulcha -city of shadows- formly in ruins now restored)

Odva- (Ara'kahr/Vulcan) wife of Jakol, mother of Neuak, on the Terra elders council board, acting chairman in Sarek's absence

Jakol- (Shikhar/Vulcan)

Neuak- (Kenyan/ Vulcan) son of Odva, unbonded, former farmer and agriculturalist, currently serving on the guard as sentry under Ralek. Close friends with K'ai.

 **Hja'e**

( Common house, from the city of Asil)

Sula- (Tanzanian/Human) wife of Jossen, mother of Rovoc, shopkeep of the honeysticks stand and other sweets

Jossen- ( Ara'kahr/Vulcan) husband of Sula, father of Rovoc, ship's cartographer, currently assisting with construction and scouting

Rovoc- (Kenyan/Human) - son of Joseen and Sula, junior leader of the 3rd settlement, mid figure in the rebellion

Nirak- (Jain'anKahr/Vulcan) husband of T'Val, one of the ship's physicians, current healer for the community, one of many key figures in the rebellion

T'Val- ( Jain'anKahr/Vulcan)- wife of Nirak, one of the ship's nurse practitioners, current aid at the compound's library

Ikeno- ( Kikuyu/ Human) husband of T'Kaas, shaman of the compound, emissary and go between for the humans and Vulcans

T'Kaas (Jai'anKahr/Vulcan) wife of Ikeno, High healer and priestess of the compound, formerly head physician of the ship

T'Nar- ( Mt. Seleya valley/ Vulcan) hails from a small, common house in the rural outskirts of Gol

Pal- ( Shikhar/ Vulcan) emissary for the Council of Elders on Vulcan, snobby but good natured when one can tolerate or over look his snootiness

\- Vulcan: Dor's POV-

Dor had been standing among his relatives for the past 2.4 _v'hrals_ ( Vulcan hours/ 1.409 Earth hours) awaiting the arrival of family they had long believed dead.

He didn't know the first thing to say to someone in such a position. Should he welcomed them in as relatives that had taken a long survey away from the planet or should he and his family be slow to take him in, give him time to adjust to all that was new to him?

At only 33 years in age, Dor could only account for the decades between them in the history that he knew. Very much come to change for Vulcan since their disappearance. There had been another upheaval in the high council as they worked to regulate melding between those that were not bonded or family. Mind crimes and medical conditions had been on the rise and in a move for conservation of their morality, health and safety they were working on banning certain practices while still being progressive.

Conservation of their planet's ecology and their culture's oldest relics had also been of great import. The great ruins of Gol were nearly restored and there was talk of zoning residential spaces within the city's ancient walls.

Great herds of _jarel_ (horse like animals) had been reintroduced to their nature plains of stubby violet vegetation and beyond them small caravans of chorak (camels like creatures) skimmed the sandy dunes looking out for the fearsome _le-matya_ ( a huge green and yellow poisonous animal like a tasmanian tiger) or _nor_ -sehlat ( wild, larger shelat). The evenings still perplexed his parents as the land came alive with howls and calls.

Fashion as with all things left to trend had evolved into slimmer, tighter robes and garments. Bright colors were no longer left to the eccentric and younger kanlar but could be seen on many roaming the streets. The arts from the time before their awakening had been slowly reintroduced as fine art and carefully practiced as a way to honor and respect their history.

No doubt they would find these and a great many other changes to be daunting at best but as with all V'tosh they would take on the evolution of their culture with the grace bestowed to them by their logic and knowledge of _Kadiith_. Because what is, is.

His attention is recaptured by the shuttle bay's door hissing slowly open. Dor straightened himself and inclined his tilted head forward to see the newcomers. He had been told that his uncle Gad had bonded with a human and sired a hybrid child named T'Bes who in turn was bonded to another hybrid herself.

He wondered after this cousin of his, if she would look or carry herself any different than a typical V'tosh female. Perhaps one day he could accompany his uncle to Terra and met her and her bondmate for himself. He had time allotted for the travel but what would a geologist like himself be welcomed or seen as trying to overtake control of the compound they constructed there?

Dor felt his mother shift somewhat restlessly behind him as she strained to get a look at anyone entering or exiting the spacecraft. To any who were connected to her like himself, she was nervously looking for her brother. Moving to catch her eye, he slowly blinked at her and felt the hazy tension in the bond they shared dissipate.

She didn't say that she was eager to see him or was worried that he wouldn't remember her because those things are clear and therefore irrelevant in making mention but she did blink back at him with a soft click of her tongue. Her face softened for a bit before her eyes beamed brightly at the sight before her.

Dor turned to find the stern bay ramp to the shuttle now filled with exiting...peoples. He would have said people but the humans stuck out among the Vulcans in his vision like _the watcher_ in the night sky.

He blinked as he took them in and found them not too off putting. Their brows were flat and their ears were round like ovals. Looking harder he noticed that they _looked_ softer as well, almost damp in their softness like a cloth warmed with water. Idly he wondered how their skin felt to the touch. Would it be wet as he suspected or dry? What if it were sticky?

And then one of them grimaced. Dor found his eyes going wide with surprise at the sudden and untrained expression. Before he could recover from the frowning another human only slightly lighter in shade to himself split her mouth into a quick, toothy smile.

Still close within their bond Dor felt his mother's vivid feelings of scandalization and repulsion. She in turn probably felt his amazement and shock. The humans continued on unaware of the sheer numbers of faux pas they were performing as they trudged down the ramp onto the ground before them.

So strange and wonderful were the humans that Dor barely paid attention to the Vulcans among them. Gazing at them then Dor saw little to no differences between them such as malnourishment and a sickly paleness that denoted their lack of sunlight. He knew that Terra had only one star compared to their two so perhaps it had not been enough to synthesize and absorb a suitable amount of vitamins.

The _rish-ha-vel_ (hybrids) were among them but Dor could not discern them readily. At best he made uninformed estimations among the approaching clans. He was combing his eyes through the Terra V'tosh when he saw her.

His mother regarded the swell of emotion within him but he could not spare her a glance or reply to answer her. The sight of her arrested his full attention in a way he had yet to experience. Surreal and sublime, the enchantress seemed to glow from within. It could have very well been the sunscreen solution they gave some of the humans but…

Dor tilted his head quizzically. He had lost his train of thought. For a moment his brain had misfired and there was nothing. No involuntary call to breath, no calculation for time, temperature and his metabolic functions. Nothing. " Fascinating…"

" Are you well?" his mother asked.

He was aware that it was her second time asking him but he had not been able to answer her earlier. The sight of the fam-kursu female had slowed his mind to a full stop. " It is unclear."

" What transpired over the past 6.3 seconds?"

Dor furrowed his brow and blinked rapidly as he searched his mind for the sensations. Had it truly been only seconds that he had been dumbstruck? In the moment he felt that time had been seized in an odd suspension that made it stretch impossibly long. It was bizarre and heady numbness. " I am uncertain. I spotted the _fam-kursu_ female and was unable to regulate my person to my will."

His mother's eyes studied his face, gauging each detail see could glean from his facade. She gave nothing away of what she thought which troubled him. Even within the bond she felt muted with an undertone of evasion. Her gaze left him and settled onto the pearly Vulcaness trailing behind her sir and dame. " How curious. Perhaps it was a transient ischemic attack but your face does not exhibit any of the-"

She paused and Dor felt her inside him once again with a blossoming of happiness. It was so strong in its presence that Dor felt his lip tilt marginally upward as he exhaled softly through his nose and relaxed his shoulders.

He looked again at the crowd and saw the source of his mother's joy as a male disembarking from the ramp stared over in their direction. He was not prone to guessing or using unverifiable data on which to base his decisions but, from what he could gather, the male was so similar in facial features, pigmentation and musculature to his family that they had to be related in some fashion, perhaps within one or two generations. It was his _sa'kuk_ Gad; his mother's brother.

As their eyes met Dor observed as the delirious feel of happiness took on a more somber tone. Neither had thought to see the other alive again. It was a soft sadness but large enough to threaten all three Vulcans control.

Dor summoned forth what little calm and excitement he had and smoothed over his mother's morbid reflection on the expectation that she would used what little remained of her sibling bondlink to share with her brother. In 5.3 seconds all of them had calmed markedly and were only left with a chaste sense of anticipation at meeting one another face to face. The male disappeared with the others into the hanger and they waited with the others to be allowed in to join them.

As they loitered Dor's mind toyed over the vision of the pale female. Who was she? Why did she not attend her bondmate as they exited the shuttle? Why when her face had been so still did he feel like he had seen her amazement with their world? Why could he not cease his thoughts of her?

Dor turned his eyes away from the hanger but his mind still had her in its sights. Irritated by his inability to clear his thoughts of the female he reached out to his bondmate. He felt her mild curiosity as to his presence within their bond before she swiftly excused him from her mind. T'Neahm did not care for him clinging to close to her within their bondlink as she said it distracted her.

He had argued that it was merely a means to seek comfort from her, as his wife he would look to her for such affections. It wasn't as if it were some torrid dalliance, it was a mental caress that he was thinking of her and nothing more. T'Naehm thought it illogical no matter his points and would push him from her every time he came to her with an issue she felt to be extraneous.

T'Naehm was not cold, no Vulcan ever truly could be given their passionate disposition but, she took an unreasonable amount pride in her emotional control and submission to logic. He would never tell her for fear of offending her but, he thought his wife had made an idol of the philosophical application in the quest to be the perfect Vulcan.

While the effort she put into becoming the epitome of all things Vulcan were commendable the results of T'Naehm's obsession had negatively affected their already tenuous bonding. Where their marriage had been awkward and uncomfortable for both of them at first, her purge of emotional influence had made the Vulcaness indifferent and Dor unequivocally lonesome. They were never parted with the bond between them but she was not there. She no longer cared.

The emotional attachment that he may have felt or even still feel towards her, was rationed away with a logical swipe of her mind. The primary function of bonding was for that which they did not speak of and reproduction, to do so for any other reason, especially for the cultivation or presence of love was illogical. Not that he had ever loved T'Neahm though, she had made it abundantly clear that Dor should not even attempt to do so.

Dor soothed the ache in the back of his skull by drilling himself through a favorite breathing exercise. He could not argue her logic reasonably but, at the same time, Dor was wedged inside her hold. She would not free him to another because that would be illogical. There were no others high enough in their social caste to have him and the few that were available were troubled with one or many debarments that made them unsuitable for bonding.

He felt his cousins looking over in his direction and noted that his breathing patterns had become erratic without his knowing. He often times would become distracted when he thought over his bonding, it was...uncongenial but rationally he had no choice. In that odd way that nobility was constrained by social norms, Dor as an heir of his house and a male willfully bound by the logic of Surak honored by his Vulcan foremothers, would carry on the bondage to T'Naehm and bear it as a pious Duke should.

He allowed himself a small sigh and shrugged away the residual emotion of dejection, focusing now on the Vulcan directing the crowd to divide itself into halves by relations and spectators. With typical efficiency the large congregation of V'tosh separated and awaited further instruction.

The Yonulsu were summoned first, followed by the highly noted S'chn T'gai. Grand Prince Sarek had returned home and Dor, like many others, was curious about the Surak decedent's alien family. It was said that his wife was not only aesthetically pleasing, for a human, but that she was also exceptionally intelligent like that of her daughter in law. Not much was said about the Prince, Lord Spock, but that he was as stoic and formidable as his sire.

This news, however lacking in detail, soothed Dor. It was known that Lord Sarek's son here on Vulcan was none too stable in his logic but, then again, there were reasons for his deficiency.

The announcer returned and heralded loudly into the crowd. " Clan I'gck J'aal, house of T'Les."

Dor stepped forward with his mother and others following his lead. " Present."

The herald motioned them forward with a bow of his head and a gracefully tilt of his chin. " If it would please these ones to follow this one. Your lost relations are present."

Dor patiently awaited his great grandmother and her attendants to pass along with the other senior generations before trailing behind. His house was not so grand that his _pid-kom_ T'Les was escorted on a paladin in the manner of high clans but, as she walked with her customary guard, the clan matron was allowed to go as quickly or leisurely as she pleased.

This fact would typically be of little interest or consequence to Dor but he found himself tamping down not only his excitement but sighs of frustration as well. T'Les was truly taking all the time allotted to her. The pace she set buffed against the anxious feeling to see the offworlders again, one in particular.

Maybe he exaggerated the sensations he felt upon seeing the pale Vulcaness? Having never seen humans and hybrids in person perhaps the experience had been more emotionally taxing than he initially took into account? He reviewed the stunted time frame in which she held his eyes transfixed and felt the same paralyzing rapture that had stolen over him before. It was markedly weaker as the stimuli of the female and her alluring gait are no longer present but the heart thundering, dry mouth inducing hyperventilation without a doubt returned at the thought of her. It was troubling but not unpleasant.

Stepping inside the air hanger he noted the slight chill in the climate controlled air. His mind supplied the fact that Terra in most areas was far cooler than his own world and the ambassadors had most likely adjusted the conditions of the building with them in mind.

The party of Terra V'tosh and humans were feet from him now conversing and milling about comfortably enough but seem apprehensive about their approach. Perhaps they were worried that no members of their houses would come to collect them or that the reception they would receive would be unduly emotional.

T'Les drew to an elaborate halt and summoned Gad forward with a single utter of his name. He approached with his human mate in attendance and they bowed in unison. At the sight of the pair Dor's elders look more pleased than he'd ever witnessed. After T'Les expounded about how agreeable it is to have him back within the fold, his grandparents welcome his uncle followed by his mother.

While not as emotional as their last encounter when he departed from the shuttle the air was tense with unspoken thoughts and feelings. Gad's eyes spared a glance in Dor's direction and he beckoned him forward with a dip of his chin. " You have offspring as well, _ko-kai_? He favors both you and your bondmate with a consonance that is well-balanced."

Dor felt himself oddly pleased with the compliment and nodded his head in thanks along with his mother. V'tosh were not so vocal on the aesthetics of others unless it was deemed necessary which was hardly ever. Maybe cohabiting with humans had made his uncle more expressive in this regard. Either way he felt some of the suspenseful air dissipate and waver at his insouciant comment.

His human bondmate looked from one face to the other with wonder clearly written on her face but remains silent. Dor watched her as she seemed to cling to his uncle's hand and puzzle over their words before it occurred to him that she might not be fluent in their language. Even then she would have to account for the dialects that each of them spoke but fortunately his pid kom had set the tone with the use of formal _Vulkansu_.

His mother then brought forth his first cousins and Gad's estranged bondmate T'Kil. Again the strange wave of sadness and mourning boiled over in the bonds shared throughout the family. Pleasantries were exchanged and new bondmates were introduced but no other mention of the past aside from their children was mentioned. Dor grieved with them.

As the conversation broke down into something more casual Dor's eye wandered over to the highly coveted S'chn T'gai family. S'haile Sarek looked even more grand in person and his human wife, Amanda was it, appeared just as charming as he imagined from the journal logs retrieved from his PADD.

Beside them had to be their son Spock, though under thorough scrutiny Dor could not discern any major differences between him and a typical, full blooded Vulcan. The male's body language seemed a bit more expressive than usual but then again Dor didn't know how he would carry himself if he were in his situation.

If he were to take an unplanned trip to Terra he was sure to be out of sorts both in mind and spirit.

Dor broke off from his thoughts of interspace travel to observe the female he believed to be Spock's bondmate, Nyota. In his journals, Sarek described his daughter in law as comely slip of a woman with resolve and natural intellect like that of any Vulcan. Seeing her now in person Dor could readily picture her roaming the Terran plains as easily as he could imagine her trolling the aisles of a library. How fascinating it would be to speak with them Dor thought as he stared at them from across the hanger's bay.

Without warning, Spock looked over in his direction and met his eyes. They were fierce in their intensity and Dor could not hold it for much longer than a 3 seconds. He was so shamed in his faux pas that he did not see them approach. Or her.

" Greetings, _Osu (sir)_. It is my understanding that our families hail from the same city."

Dor furrowed his brow trying to place the voice when he looked into the face of the female that haunting his mind for the past 38 lirt'k (minutes).

" _T'sai_." he uttered breathlessly with a bow. To his ears he sounded overtly surprised, if not pleasantly so but by some fate she does not seem to notice. Now caught off guard with her in front of him, Dor can neither dodge or escape her. She was much more breathtaking in person. Even her scent had an alluring air to it like _bar-kas_ and _yelas_ ( spice and sun plants ( Vulcan goldenrod) .

Dor swallowed and inclined his head towards her, not trying to breathe too heavily as he eyed her clothing for signs of her rank and family. From the fabric quality and the multiple layers he surmised that she was breed into a high clan.

" Perhaps our families do. Where does your clan hail from, _T'sai_ …"

" K'goah T'izh of Terra. My sire's family is from Gol. And it would be well for you to use _Osa (madam)_ instead. Your house does not seem too far from my own."

Dor nodded somewhat dumbly at the statement and took his hands behind his back. " _Osa_ K'goah. It is acceptable to make your acquaintance. I am called Dor of the clan I'gck J'aal. You are correct. Our family are originally from Gol though some from each of our houses have residences here in Shikahr."

A flicker of a smile crossed over her face and Dor was struck by its appearance. What caused her to do so? Was she always so emotive?

T'izh must have noticed his confusion because she trained her features more tightly to that of his own. It soothed his earlier shook but he did not find her smile disagreeable, merely baffling. " You must forgive me. This venture has been quite an undertaking to behold. I never truly thought that I would one day set foot on _Vulkansu_. To do so was an illogical pursuit."

" Indeed but also an action none would fault you for if you had."

She looked as if she would smile once again but her reaction to his words don't quite go past her eyes. " I am at a lost of what to diversion to partake of first. Everything at the moment seems quite attractive."

She flushed brightly after concluding her sentence and Dor was again is puzzled by her reaction. She seemed easily flustered and the effect was contagious.

" Your arrival comes at a very opportune time for your clan."

She glanced up at him and Dor found himself temporarily distracted by the jade green of her eyes. Blood colored though they were, in her face the hue was highly complimentary. He tore his gaze away and continued on, looking at the S'chn T'gais as he spoke.

" You will observe our culture has been experiencing a renaissance of historical arts." he exclaimed. " Slowly, the ethics board and high council have been releasing works deemed fit public consumption. Your clan has labored hard to restore them."

" What such pieces _Osu_ Dor?"

His heart gave an erratic beat in his side as she spoke. The accent she carried in her _Vulkansu_ was slight but became more pronounced when she said pronouns such as his name. _Doe-rah_. In her mouth she exhaled his name like a sigh of relief instead of using the base of her larynx to hollow out the O and roll her tongue around the R.

He thought to correct her but it was not unpleasant to hear T'izh voice it as she did. _It is unique_ Dor thought mildly, though more troubling he felt that he regarded the characteristic more deeply. He blinked slowly to clear the thought away.

His family began to move and mingle with the others as they were introduced to the other Vulcans from Terra who had been their neighbors aboard. T'izh walked gracefully alongside him, drawing his eyes to the tall, curvaceous stature of her body.

" The masters have been working to train their apprentices in fabricating the paints, clays and pigments that our forefathers would have used in making such pieces while the journeymen have been commissioned with repairing various works. Paintings, ceramics and stones reliefs are just some such examples but there are many more to be seen."

Her eyes left his to hide under the shade of her silvery gold lashes. " Such an undertaking sounds tedious but rewarding."

" Indeed." he nodded, walking slowly beside her. " One of the more laborious tasks, commissioned by our governing powers, has been rehearsing resurrected performance pieces."

" Such as?"

Dor changed looking over at her again as she inquired over the pieces. Hailing from the K'goah clan it should not have surprised him that she would be interested in such but still it was a bit of a novelty to speak about such pastimes. T'Neahm certainly did not welcome such talk over trivial pursuits.

" Mostly musical numbers, concertos, quartets and some solo pieces. One of the more interesting selections has been an opera that has not been performed for nearly a millennia. "

T'izh gazed up at him again with a minute expression of surprise. " A very curious and illogical venture of the high council and ethics committee to grant my house to take."

" I would concede to your reasoning _Osa_ (madam), but the powers that be surprised a number of us all. To do acts such as singing or acting outside of a performance arena is still heavily steeped in taboo but popular enough among the _thol'es_ (nobility) to maintain a steady amount of patrons."

" These performances sound intriguing. I should want to go to one of them."

His mouth opened before he could beat his enthusiasm back. " I would amenable to escorting you to the venue on a date of your choosing. The high council has just passed approval on an opera. The _d'kam_ (date) for the _gad_ (day) has almost arrived for its opening night. T'Naehm and I could host you and your bondmate for the evening. Have an evening meal out in the city, watch the opera and retire for the night with a review of the performance over beverages?"

The last event would be the only one where he would gain the longest opportunity to converse with her and rid himself of the pull to be near her inappropriately. In the presence of her bondmate Dor was sure that his feelings would be tempered back to an acceptable regard.

" Oh. I would enjoy that. I should inform you however that-"

" T'izh! Making new friends? Please introduce us!"

Dor was startled once again by the sudden approach of others, this time Spock and his bondmate. It had been she who had spoken to T'izh but her eyes were gazing up at him curiously. Spock was also eyeing him silently but it was neither malicious or friendly, just observant like that of any other Vulcan.

T'izh smiled back at the human with her eyes and gave her a neat bow of her head.

" Yes of course. Nyota. Spock. This is Dor of the clan I'gck J'aal. _Osu_ , these are my friends and heirs apparent of the clan S'chn T'gai, Spock and his bondmate Nyota. Osu Dor's family comes from the same city of Gol as my house and he was just extending an invitation to go to the opera."

At the mention of the musical play Spock's brow lightly rose upward. " An opera? One would have never thought that such an act would be performed in this day in age."

Dor nodded his understanding and explained further. " Yes, one would have to agree that is

an unconventional expression of art to revive but the ethics board thought our present population much more capable of consuming such work with the teachings of Surak firmly established."

" Fascinating." Spock commented with a tilt of his head.

His bondmate was also tilting her head but from interest. " What is opera?"

T'izh turned and eagerly described it. " I believe you would quite like it, t'hy'la. Unlike a musical where there are various numbers throughout the composition, operas by their natures have all the dialogue sung by the actors. Depending on whether it is a grand opera or operetta, determines the mood, tone and length."

Nyota gave the Vulcaness an expression that Dor was unfamiliar. " I'm sorry I lost the meaning at musical. What is a musical?"

Spock extended his hand towards his wife and took his fingers against his. Nyota blinked twice before she looked up with comprehension. Spock spoke aloud so as not to be rude. " Like the singing you performed at your village, an opera is a storytelling composed of different chanters who take on the roles of the characters. The themes can be humorous or dramatic and oftentimes includes dancing."

Nyota's eyes went wide as her grinning mouth as she mulled over the idea. " I would love to go! Let's all go together!" she cheered, giving Spock's hand a tight squeeze.

Spock looked down at her fondly and gave a brief nod of his head. " I am amenable. Perhaps if Osu I'gck J'aal is agreeable we can form a small party to attend the event together?"

Dor was pleased with the proposition. Not only would he be in the presence of more than T'izh and her bondmate but he would have a personal night alone with half of the famed S'chn T'gai come back from Earth. " It reasons to be most agreeable outing. I will make arrangements for the transport, dining and seating for the opera. Are you in possession of a communication device?"

Nyota shook her head while Spock answered verbal. " We have yet to receive anything more than food and clothing but I am sure will we soon be inundated with countless pieces of technology."

Dor grunted in sympathy as he thought on how much T'izh and the pair would have to learn to be in step with modern day Vulcan life. " This prospect worries you, S'haile?"

Spock tilted his head and tucked his head neatly behind his back. " Quite the contrary. My wife and I very much look forward to challenge. And now we have your company and the opera to add to things we very much anticipate partaking in."

His bondmate smiled cheerfully and glanced over to where Dor saw her mother in law calling after them. " Spock we're leaving."

He nodded down towards her and gave another dip of his head in Dor's direction. " Until the opera, live long and prosper, Osu Dor."

" Until then, peace and long life, S'haile." Dor replied, bowing his head further. He and T'izh watched as the contented pair parted and disappeared out of hanger into a flitter. As the vehicle hovered away, Dor caught sight of T'izh studying his profile. He rolled his shoulders and lifted his chin in an immature desire to not leave her wanting in his appearance. As he did so her eyes traced his movements, lingering here and there in what he hoped to be approval.

He huffed at himself and ground his teeth in irritation. How could he be so susceptible to her attention? He had never fawned over anyone like this ever before, what was it about this Vulcaness that made him react so...illogically?

T'izh must have taken his reaction as annoyance with her because no sooner had he clench his jaw did she politely hide her hands within her sleeves and take a small step backwards. " I shall not retain you any further Osu Dor. I should go to my family as well before we're escorted off to our quarters."

" You have no retained me. If anything I have kept you from your duties."

She seemed pleased by his words and paused in her retreat. " You have kept me from nothing, Osu."

" You may call me Dor, when none are near to judge our titles."

" I would like that! Dor. Yes, you may in turn call me T'izh."

He nodded as she raised her delicate hand in the form of ta'al and bid him well. He did the same, assuring her that they would be in touch quite soon. After she departed Dor remained his affections that neither of them were free to give or receive them.

Sobering his mind with the thought of his wife and station, Dor went back to his clan and attended to their needs. T'izh was...singular but not his to admire.


	8. Chapter 8: We grieve with thee

Vulcan: Leonard McCoy's POV

Leonard McCoy couldn't believe that life could exist, let alone thrive here. Just a few days before he wasn't convinced that beings could live anywhere else than Earth but then he hopped a ride with the some aliens and that put that notion to rest.

McCoy mopped his brow with the edge of his shirt and squinted against the glare of the two blazing stars filling the sky above him.

" Figures that they live on a planet that's nothing but a just ball of giant anthills."

Hikaru Sulu chuckled at his assessment, the sound of it almost as quaint as it did friendly. " I won't lie that I had something more... _tropical_ in mind."

A hand came down on his shoulder with a quick squeeze and he caught the Iowan farmer smiling his way. His mirth was contagious but it was probably the only thing McCoy didn't mind contracting.

Jim's face was shiny with sweat in a way that made him looked like a pastry but the excessive moisture didn't take away from the broad smile he had going from ear to ear. He put his other arm around Sulu and gave a slight lift of his shoulders. " Oh c'mon boys, live a little! Sure it's hot but it's another planet! We're not only the first humans to leave our solar system but our heliosphere as well. And, _And_ we're the first humans to set foot on Vulcan…"

He held his hand palms up towards the oasis city to their left while his arms still sat loosely on their shoulders. " It's not paradise but it _is_ amazing."

Leonard smiled then despite himself and the sweltering conditions at Jim's excitement. Even Hikaru was genuinely smiling instead of putting on the mischievous smirk Len was learning was his trademark.

The crunching sound of boots on gravel grabbed his attention and found him looking into the sharp faced commander T'Nar. " Salutations. If you all would be so kind as to follow me into the hanger where-"

" Are we going to that city?" Kirk gestured with a nod of his head. " You didn't just let us hitch a ride to show us your airport right?"

The Vulcaness's face was immobile as usual but upon his question she gave a light lift of her brow. " Of course not. You do however need to retain translators, transportation and lodging. As we agreed upon earlier you all will perform as knowledge exchange as a means of payment for your voyage. Dr. Leonard McCoy, the medical staff eagerly awaits your arrival and Mr. Hikaru Sulu the Vulcan Science Academy look forward to your lecture on Western and Eastern culture along with Mr. Kirk's lessons on terran agricultural and animal husbandry."

" Yes and we'll gain access to some of your medical, agricultural and historical records too, correct?" Sulu asked curiously.

T'Nar gestured again towards the hanger and bobbed head. " Anything that the ethics board deems acceptable and necessary you will be given access to. Now after me."

Leonard came up beside Kirk and leaned over to his ear with a whisper. " Anything sounds a whole lot like nothing right now."

Kirk narrowed his eyes at structure and gave a humorless smile. " I'm starting to agree with you."

Xxxxxx Vulcan: Spock's POVxxxxxx

How was it that she could achieve such beauty? Spock looked lovingly over his bondmate as her braided hair whipped behind her from the wind booming in through the window of the flitter. He and his Vulcan company had long schooled their features into silence while their human companions openly boasted their emotions.

Logically he could find no fault in her pleasure of the flitter, she was experiencing the new sensory input as only one of her species would. Her mouth had performed no less that twelve distinct shapes since they boarded the vehicle and Spock found each one of them thrilling. The human sensation of curiosity was different from his own, a mix of fear and excitement as her eyes paused over the controls and puzzled over their function. With the bond opened wide between them Spock was able to vicariously enjoy the transport over to the Na'nam Kir province twofold.

Though he was displeased by the events preceding their mind meld aboard the Golian, Spock felt more settled than he had since before he had fallen ill. His face easily held evincement at bay, access to his corporal systems were all within his control and his logic balanced his mind and emotions in a way that comforted as it had when he first gained it in his first ten years.

He was satisfied with his reinforced sense of peace as a number of variables sought to fray his nerves. Most prominently was his deferment from his plans on Terra but he reasoned that he and Nyota could resume their business as soon as they took their leave of his father.

Navigating around the _Vulkansu V'tosh_ was also a daunting prospect. No doubt they were assessing the his and other hybrids Vulcan qualities. As illogical as it was Spock feared being found wanting and unable to obtain the needed V'tosh traits and characteristics to be accepted by Vulcan's people. His father who he already found overly staunch in his logic was even more vague within their bond.

The man seated across from him in the flitter seemed like a dim reflection of himself. His face was stony and his emotions within their familial bond were even more remote.

Was he even heartened to be back on Vulcan? The thought of what his mother might be feeling now, with her mate more distant, saddened him. Surely for her, he would hold some semblance of himself?

His analytic pondering over bonds led him back to Nyota and Stonn's unwanted presence near her person. His hand coiled tightly into a fist and he felt Ulihar's and his father's eyes on him, questioning the motion. He gave a slight shake of his head dismissing their concerns but held onto his train of thought.

He had been unjust towards his mate, cowardly and jealous where she had not deserved it because he could not have his way. Nyota was her own person and as such it was only benefitting that he allow his wife her independence. As he picked over the ridiculous robes the Vulcan crewmen had given him, Nyota's bubbly happiness kept his mood buoyant and lighthearted. What had his discomfort been, in wearing the clothes bestowed upon him, when it was compared to her joy of searching the ship?

Even as he felt her muted menstruation pain within the bond, Spock looked forward to resting with her well away from the others. He was sure he would have no trouble in luring her to their quarters with the temptation of the overly soft bed but then her regard turned and Spock felt a multitude of negativity.

She was agitated but not fearful and later when he had reached out to her he sensed the surprising 'guest' of T'izh around them. He was not bothered by her presence within Nyota's mind but interested as to her earlier ire. Then the Vulcaness mentioned Stonn.

A black pitch cast over him until he could scarcely breathe. He had thought the feeling was born out of his pon farr but now found that it was more in line with his instincts. The instant he had knowledge of the templar's presence, Spock was struck with a number of thoughts. Nyota's vulnerability, Stonn's continued, defiant behavior, the distance between them, and that his bondmate was undoubtedly in danger.

When he came to himself, he was storming down the hall with the least pretentious looking robe trailing behind him. He had grown disturbingly aware of his barely suppressed growl as he raged within the bond.

The only thing that kept Stonn alive and Spock out of the brig of the ship was T'izh's and the other crew members lingering presence in the halls. If not, he had very little doubt that he would have let the male live: if he could have somehow survived his trachea being manually removed along with his heart being crushed...literally…

As he rounded the corner something in the faces of the two Vulcans set him more on edge, so that when he took his mate's mind he did so callously. As much as he worked to mentally rein himself in, the smell of the male behind her made Spock's fist clench. Then he had the audacity to ask after his wife's reproductive status.

As much as the thought sickened some part of Spock, most of his mind had relished the thought of killing Stonn. That insolent, presumptuous nuisance did not know how close to death he was at that moment. How decadent the idea had been to him to dispense of Stonn in front of his Nyota, to let her see his full strength exerted so recklessly as he crushed the male's skull against the bulkhead of the ship with a single hand.

But something more held him at bay. His actions may have been overlooked if not encouraged back at the compound but to distribute such justice while in the jurisdiction of the Vulkansu Vulcans could a reap a number of consequences. He did not care for guessing but if he were to speculate these native Vulcans most likely thought him and the other Vulcans from Terra to be one evolutionary step above the cat-apes they evolved from when it came to their emotional control and cultural carriage. He did not want to add to their misconception by ( rightfully) dispensing of Stonn with only his bondmate's and an female unknown to them as his word of bond.

He would take his grievances before their pid-koms (clan matriarchs) or their elders' council to finally rid them of Stonn's presence and possibly that of T'Pring...no matter how much he wanted to have the pleasure of doing so himself. Slowly.

Spock swallowed quietly and found Nyota's eyes on his face. She was conjecturing over his mood, the sudden dark, coursing of emotions and the nature of their creation. He opened his mind to her in a pale fabrication of their earlier linking and was favored with a bright smile from her lips. In an instant the dark brooding that settled over him dissipated and left him once again contented. Her affect on his psychological and physical nature never ceased to amaze him.

Kibibi stirred her from their dark eyed gaze to draw Nyota's attention outside the window. The males turned their head casually to glance over their wives to the sight beyond. They had finally arrived: D'H'riset, the S'chn T'gai estate belonging to his father was now before them.

The compound was as opulent as it was expansive, ornately fenced in by a polished stone wall that was broken intermittently by jagged red rock that towered stories into the air. Giant willow like trees hedged along the gate gave the exterior a flash of color. Most were some shade of violet but the ones towards the front had a ombre effect along the branches as they went from a dark garnet red into a molten golden yellow with touches of orange in between.

" My word, those are gorgeous!" his mother exclaimed studying the specimens from her seat in the flitter. " Those colors! It looks like it's on fire with all those reds and golds. Oh but the lavender one is lovely!"

" K'ai trees." his father supplied absently. He was looking towards the huge stone house ahead of them with a mute expression of longing. " I cannot account for my time spent on Earth but last when I checked we had all sixty seven varieties. They are excellent providers of shade and give a sense of solitude to those who rest beneath them. Spock and Ulihar may find meditating beside one refreshing as well as fragrant."

Both he and his bond brother nodded as they took in the long ropey branches swaying in the planet's unending gusts.

" I had never considered being able to see the tree which my brother was named after with my own eyes." Ulihar said softly.

" Indeed." Spock agreed, staring at the archway they were passing under. The sprawling mass of rock had his family's name etched into its face. The twisted lettering was so worn and weathered he felt that the passage must had stood there for at least a millennia.

Inside the walls, fine fountains and elegant landscaping was rolled out before them like some phantasmagorical garden. The plethora of water features and plant life they had housed within the gave testament to the S'chn T'gai's wealth and status. On a desert planet such as this, the man made oasis, each massive woody plant and leatherleaf shrub was just as precious as any excavated gem found on earth.

Spock admitted to himself that he expected much less shrubbery and much more rock but their was certainly no shortage of the latter.

Between the landscaping focal points were sights he had only seen in his father's memory. The two that stood out in person were the large sparring ring and the meditation pavilion, both of which incorporated the natural rock surrounding them. The sparring ring alone would have taken all the males housed at the compound a full summer to construct if they worked on no other projects and the pavilion might take anywhere between 40 to 60 summers to make depending on the mastery of each Vulcan working on its roof and pillars. Of course they had techonology for these sorts of projects but these looked...quite ancient.

The flitter slowed as it banked nearby the main entrance to the palatial mansion. For their part the humans among them remained relatively still and silent though Spock felt Nyota's excitement buzzing in his chest.

The valet opened the door and they filed out accordingly, which Spock noted with interest. It seemed that there was a high importance placed on one's rank and status. It seemed highly illogical given the society's adherence to Surak's teachings and their advanced studies in science and technologies. Perhaps his stay on Vulcan would enlighten him as to the nature of their traditions. Some if not most customs seemed...outdated.

Outside the flitter a simple but cleanly garbed Vulcan bowed saluted them in welcome and bowed graciously towards him and his father. He introduced himself as the butler but made no mention of his name which Spock found peculiar.

" _S'haile_ , your great grandmother and brother await you in the parlor. Follow this humble one."

Spock caught his mother's glance over to his father, most likely in question over his first immediate family. Where were they? Why had they not come to retrieve them as the other high clans had?

Nyota seemed to share the sentiment as her earlier excitement turned to apprehension. Spock did not like how that particular mood swing was becoming a popular trend in his mate's behavior. He sighed lightly and tapped his fingers along her wrist as they walked. Nyota took a sharp inhale and smiled coyly over in his direction. He was glad that his own nervousness could at least gain him her smile.

Sarek followed the nameless butler through the five sets of doors, before they turned toward what looked to be a sitting room on their left. As lavish as the exterior of D'H'riset was the interior more resembled the butler in its modesty. The room before them had only a few pieces to adorn it, one for each wall and simple in their opulence. The parlor was not without its occupants.

There in the middle sat an elderly female with a middle aged male at her side. Spock cast his gaze on who he assumed to be his great great grandmother and took her in. She was quite confusing to draw conclusions from.

He knew she must be well over two hundred years old but in the midst of her wrinkled face and the frail slope of her shoulders she looked well fortified. She was wearing more robes than any other Vulcan he had met thus far, each layer unique and rich in detail. The long braided ropes of hair piled atop her head had her neck bowing under the weight of it. Her eyes were unnaturally sharp looking as if they belonged to someone younger but when her gaze passed over him she felt no ill will from her.

The male beside her resembled his father greatly. From his silver templed hair to his superior height, the Vulcan he knew to be named Silek favored Sarek as only a blood relation could.

His father slowly came before them with a light bow to his brother and came to kneel before their family matron. The pair observed him before, T'Pau exhaled softly through her nose and opened her lips with a small, wet smack. " Sarek, son of Skon, Grand S'haile and heir of the house S'chn T'gai, your presence is most agreeable."

Silek inclined his head, seconding her proclamation with a nod. " Most agreeable to see you once again, _Sa-kai_. It has been far too long."

A strong ache assaulted Spock in the bond between his father that had him and his mother staggering and shifting as the stood behind him. " It has been far too long, pid-kom. Sa-kai. I am most gratified to come home."

Sarek stood and asked the question everyone present was thinking but too polite to interrupt the reunion. " Are T'Rea and Sybok, out of the city? I would like to bid them salutations and introduce my family as well."

T'Pau took a noticeably large breath in as Silek sighed and straightened his back. " Sarek. The princess...her ka'tra is stored within the temple. There were complications that were not detected and shortly after your ship was lost to us, she passed from her condition."

Spock watched as his father nodded slowly, his eyes darting to the ground before looking up at his brother once more. His father's emotional control never ceased in its admirability. " And my son, Sybok?"

This time Silek fell silent and T'Pau took up explaining his absence. " Your brother raised the boy as his own but as he came of age, he shunned not only our affinity but our ways as well."

" I do not understand what you are referring to." Sarek said quietly, furrowing his brows.

T'Pau blinked slowly and pursed her lips. " He is _V'tosh ka'tur_ ( a Vulcan without logic). He has forsake _kolinahr_ in favor of expressing his emotions and forefeited his right to succeed your title along with it. He lives away from the estate, off in the forge. He has not been seen here for 27 _tevuns_ (years)."

Sarek's eyes widen in shock before fluttering close. Silek stepped forward and bowed his head gently towards his older brother. " Sarek, we would have come to greet you but the nature of the news you had yet to learn did not lend itself to informing you in public."

T'Pau gave a curt nod and moved her hand along the armrest of her chair to sit up straighter. " We grieve with thee."

Sarek turned towards them, Spock exhaled sharply at the open grief that was written across his father's face.

" Forgive me. I must meditate."

And with that he left them behind to sort out themselves as he went off suppress his emotional distress as was their way.


	9. Chapter 9: What do pregnant humans eat?

A/N: Confused yet? Good that means I've done my job...j/k, but seriously I know it's a lot to take in. Let me know if you have questions. Again this is not the chapter for the S/U goodness but an explanation of the happenings of the Terra V'tosh stuck back on Earth. This is picking up where we left off with Adia, K'ai and Kosi off in search of T'Kaas and Ikeno. Next chapter is the opera~!

\- Earth: Adia's POV-

Adia snuggled deeper against the warm bulk pressed against her.

She felt drained, heavy like a stone even in her sleep but the strong hold around her was nice. Perhaps she should rest more? She nuzzled against...him? once more and chased after the sleepy numbness she emerged from. Hunger however overpowered her fatigue and kept her conscious. As if he were aware of her waking the baby kicked against her belly to second the motion to eat.

Her eyes fluttered open to the sky and male above her. K'ai turned his face downward and peered blankly at her face. She blinked up at him in confusion until the events of yesterday evening slammed back into her. Tears welled back in her eyes and she turned her gaze away from him before they started to rolled down her face. Ralek.

" I grieve with thee." he said quietly. His voice was softer now than it was the night before and she recalled their interaction in the height of their emotions. She gazed up at the angry green lines marring his face and sighed. " I'm sorry for hurting you."

His eyes darted to the dotted circle around her shoulder from his teeth and back to the savannah before them. "I am grieved at hurting you as well. I went against your wishes and violated your boundaries. This one very much regret it."

She nodded with a shrug while rubbing at the wound. He had bite her. Marked her and made her sleep. True she hadn't been herself but when he touched her, she saw if only briefly that he had meant her and Kosi no harm. She had also felt his pressing need to secure them away from... _them_. A feeling of anxiety that was not her own batted at where her side was pushed up against him. She glanced up at his face but he revealed nothing of the turmoil she felt inside. She sighed and dropped her hand onto her belly. " You were just trying to save us from my husband's fate and I attacked you. I didn't know then but I know now. Thank you for saving us."

" No thanks is necessary and no offense is taken where none is given." he replied by rout. A teaching by Surak. She turned her head to find Kosi astride a large sable doe walking smoothly beside them. The girl was watching them and looked relieved at the sound of her voice. Adia reached out a hand and Kosi readily reached out with her own to receive it.

Her mental touch was strained and fraught with throbbing ache where her father should have been but she seemed well with all things considered. K'ai shifted her in his arms and brought a waterskin to her lips. " Drink."

Adia grimaced at the capped off bladder and looked away. She didn't want to do anything, just lay down and think of her husband but she had her children depending on her. Obediently she opened her mouth, drank her fill and thanked him.

He nodded at her thanks with a dull glimmer of happiness brushing against her arm even as his face remained stony.

" Where are we going?" she asked arching her back to relieve the cramp in her side. He must of had her in this position while riding to make sure she was secure. While it had kept her safe it made her muscles stiff, as if she had been walking hunched over all night.

" We are off Magabi and Namangi, to find Ikeno and T'Kaas. You need a healer for the kanbu's birthing."

Adia sat up further, frightened once again. " What happened...the rest of it that night…?"

His eyes flashed to her shoulder and blinked just as suddenly away. The wound there burned with a sharp sting as if a bee had bitten her. She rubbed the sensation away as he muttered something in what she thought to be vulgar Vulcan. Glancing at the wide eyed Kosi K'ai excused his language and explained what transpired that evening.

" After coming across Ralek, the guardsman Neuak and I, went from home to home asking permission to gain their mind and thoughts-"

" You did not gain ours, sentry." Kosi accused him angrily. " My father would have never done that."

K'ai exhaled through his nose as if annoyed but Adia felt the remembered nauseating pain he experienced that whole evening. It appeared he was upset with his handling of them and mourning Ralek as well on no sleep since two nights ago. Adia looked up at him in a foggy concern which Kosi mirrored in a tilt of her head. He narrowed his eyes at Adia and the impression of his mind and thoughts disappeared from his skin in an instant.

" I did what your father would have done which was protect his family and the village. I admit I am not the most senior guardsman or even the most skillful but this one speaks truth that I would have willingly given my life if it meant your father would have remained alive."

Her daughter made a face of disbelief and huffed through her nose. " That is illogical." she countered. " Can one give life? Then be slow to take life."

K'ai blinked at the Surak tenant and rebutted with another. " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Ralek had a family with children were as I have only marked my bonded. My betrothed, never having met or seen me, would have been none the wiser while you all would have enjoyed a long and prosperous life."

" Thanks for the sentiment but it's okay." Adia replied with a crack in her voice. He offered her more water but she refused it. " I would like to relieve myself please."

K'ai called the antelope to a halt and dismounted in an alarming swiftness. Carefully he cradled Adia in his arms and settled her onto the ground followed by Kosi. " You may have your privacy but do not wander far."

Adia hugged her daughter and nodded before walking into the tall grass to get well away from him. Once he was out of their view both of them gathered their skirts and squatted in the field. Kosi finished first and seemed dismayed at the inability to dry herself and clean her hands. Adia scoffed as her mental self-scolding trickled over to her through their bond at the thought of forgetting soap. " Packed some alcohol for medicine. If you're worried I'll pour some on your hands."

She stared at her mother as revulsion pulsed between them. " Thank you but I do not care to reek of changaa."

Adia chuckled and patted her hand against her scalp. " No I don't suppose you would."

" Mama, do you trust him?"

Adia wiggled her hips to shake off the stray drops of urine and stood up. Kicking dirt over the wet soil she shrugged. " Yes."

" You did not appear to yesterday. Can you elaborate as to why?"

Adia ran her teeth over and across her bottom lip. " That's true. Your father's passing hurt me, still hurts me but I was beyond reason then. I was scared that he had killed your father and had come to kill us. I didn't know some of what was going on but I do now."

" We still do not know. We have yet to glean the whole story and we have not been afforded a secondary primary account of the events. Why do you trust him now?"

Scratched at the taut skin of her stomach and shifted on her puffy feet. She was about to admit to eavesdropping on his mind as he held her and didn't want to hear Kosi's objections to the fact. As clear as it was that Kosi didn't care for K'ai, her daughter was a huge stickler for rules and customs. Maybe she wouldn't care too much if it gave her the heart of why Adia now trusted the young K'goah. " I trust him now because I can feel his mourning of your father and his struggle to suppress his need for revenge. I also feel his concern for us."

" He cannot be my new _sa-mekh_." Kosi quipped, defiantly.

Adia smiled and shook her head. It wasn't the objection she thought Kosi would raise but it was pleasant to have her act as herself with the trauma they were going through. " I don't think any of us are looking for him to be, eh heh? He will find the healer and Ikeno for us and the others and once your brother is born we can figure out what we want to do."

Kosi's mouth fidgeted with whether or not to smile. " The baby is male?" she asked excitedly.

Adia remember that she had not told her last night as she and Ralek wanted to share the information together when he returned him. The muscles of her airway and innards knotted as she thought of him never coming home again. As it stood they may never go home again. Kosi was quietly watching her as she gave herself a mental and physically shake. She couldn't think about that, not here, not now. They needed her and she needed to be _here_.

" Yes a boy." she answered finally.

Kosi joined her in wiping her hands on on the blades of tall grass as a means of cleaning their palms and fell in step beside her. K'ai was behind one of the sable antelope, absently rubbing at the animal's cheek as he gaze off in the distance. She could tell he was aware of their approach however as his head tilted fractionally in their direction. That pointy ear hearing was uncanny. He didn't hear their conversation did he?

Kosi broke the silence once more, most likely from discomfort of having it around for such a long stretch and continued voicing her opinions on the baby. " I will admit I was partial to having a sister as I thought the bond between us would be more readily forged. Hearing that he is male however has colored my bias and I find myself excited at the prospect of bonding with him."

K'ai hummed lightly at her words and lead the sable he was petting over towards them. " Brothers are nice but highly irritating. Are you certain you will be so joyous after his arrival?"

Adia must have made a face because he turned to regard her curiously. She had never heard the stand offish male once entertain teasing someone. That he did so now for her daughter gained him her gratitude. She favored him with a wan smile and saw him nod in return.

Kosi did not take the jab as unusual behavior and launched into a defense of her person. " I am most prepared for the _kanbu_ , whether male or not. I minded Esha's youngest as a means of practice and have observed my mama's way with me. She is a most excellent teacher."

K'ai grunted in agreement as he took a hold of her slight form and placed her gently onto the antelope's back. " Yes. I learned last night that she is a most fearsome warrior as well. She nearly impaled me with a spear and when you succumbed to the nerve pinch she nearly clawed my eyes out. For a moment I thought I would look more like my Ulihar if I hadn't turned my face in time."

Kosi puffed out her small chest with pride at his words, looking smugly over at her mother as she mulled over his words. " My mama is like Auntie Nyota, both know how to fight. If she were not with child you indeed might have been blinded."

Adia rolled her eyes and shook her head at their surprising illogical but playful antics and readied herself to mount the steed. " You two are as crazy as the baboons. If-Eep!"

K'ai large hands went around her thigh and slightly under her bust as lifted her gently onto the doe. The touch had been quick and bland but she felt the mark on her shoulder throb as he held in a way she found disturbing. Had he pinched a nerve with his teeth last night? Why was it so painful?

She shot him an accusatory glare when she faltered at the equally dubious look he gave her. K'ai huffed through his nose and regarded him in way she could only guess to be leery. His face had yet to move beyond his mouth for talking and the set of his of his eyes. instead of mounting onto the doe with her walked between the antelope instead.

They walked for a spell before she could no longer ignore her hunger. She felt famished and the growing ache to her head only compounded it. " I am hungry."

K'ai continued looking ahead looking, chewing on the blade of sweet grass he held between his lips. " What do pregnant humans eat?"

Adia narrowed her eyes at the back of his head and glared down at him in lieu of yanking at the locks swinging down past his shoulders. She was too hungry for his _Vulcan_ attitude. " Whatever the baby wants."

" What does the _kanbu_ desire?" he mumbled still looking aloof as he gazed at the horizon.

" Eggs." she replied neatly. She would have to be creative in their preparation out here in the bush but she knew the protein and calories would chase away the nausea and weariness she felt. " And whatever else you have stowed away."

" The kanbu would not desire flesh. It is the human mother that wants the eggs…" he grunted.

That was it. Adia smacked her teeth and leaned over towards him. " If you think to play with me _little boy_ then I'll warn you to stop right now! I am **not** in the mood for games. My baby is Vulcan _and_ _human_ and he **wants** to eat! He's kicking me in my gut to let me know it's empty!"

K'ai glanced over his shoulder at her agitated frame before rolling his head back in place. " I am not little or a juvenile male. And my name is pronounced kah-ahee not kay."

" What I call you will get _**a lot**_ worse if you DO NOT feed me, _KAY_!" she growled through her teeth.

She didn't want to be angry with him per say but she was distraught and hungry and it felt good to vent. Since Ralek's passing she had been so numb to feel anything beyond her concern for Kosi and her boy. Besides, K'ai's unsocial nature lent itself to being a hefty target to lob her ire at.

The male in question didn't seem any more bothered by her words now than he had with the others as he slowly scratched underneath his chin. " Stop your fussing at me. I shall get _you_ eggs. Though if you have noticed we are lacking birds to lay them."

Adia looked around in dismay to see he was right. In all their walking they had yet to pass by one tree or watering hole and the only birds she spotted were in the sky far from their nests. " Ugh, figures."

" There's a bird." Kosi pointed out. Her mouth was fighting to not smile at the childish pride she felt at being able to help them out. " See right over there."

Adia squinted against the sun's rays and sighed. " Ostriches?! Baby, we can't-"

" We will have eggs." K'ai announced cutting off her protest. " I will provide a distraction while Kosi takes the eggs."

Adia gave him an incredulous look and shook her head. " Did I knock you free of your sense last night?! Hell no! Don't drag my daughter into your madness! Those overgrown vultures will kick you all the way back to the compound if they hit you!"

" I will make sure we are not hit then." K'ai chuffed smugly. Adia pursed her mouth and wished that they didn't need him so much that he _could_ get kicked into tomorrow.

Smug bastard. Or maybe they'd peck off one of his locs? She smiled evilly at the thought. " Okay, but no Kosi. You do it."

" Very well. I am more than capable of doing so."

" Sure you are..." she rolled her eyes.

" I am. I just stated so." he huffed.

" Mmm Hmm..." she hummed with a close mouth.

His left brow twitched before he lifted it. " I must ask that you refrain from your poor attempts to taunt me."

" Are they _really_ all that poor though, _Kay_?"

" It's K'ai. And yes you are unsuccessful. To continue in your efforts would be illogical."

She smirked. " Sure they would…"

K'ai grumbled the vulgar Vulcan again but did not excuse it this time.

He drew them closer to the flock, ten birds in total before he called the antelope to halt. The large fowl observed their approached warily, puttering around, twisting their necks as they bobbed their tiny heads up and down. The dominant male was clearly put off by their stalking. He stomped about, puffing out his chest while opening his bill with a dark eyed stare.

Adia sighed and waved her hand in the air. " This is stupid. You're going to get hurt."

" You have little faith in my abilities." he said sternly sizing up the male. " He is just like a giant cockerel. Not much more than loud crowing and aggressive gesturing to gain the female's attention."

" Like most males I know…" Adia mumbled.

He shot her an unamused look and went back to assessing his quarry. The communal nest laid just beyond the hens and the strutting rooster. From what she could see it looked like there were 12 to 15 eggs in the clutch but how K'ai was going to get to them was beyond her. Everyone knew ostriches were aggressive when provoked and one of the more fleet footed animals. She huffed atop her antelope and shook her head. " Let's leave, K'ai. I will eat our rations."

He quirked his head towards her as she said his name properly. She hoped that by doing so she would mollify him enough to move on and find her some other form of protein. There had to be something small and slow around her.

Stretching his back like cat, K'ai lowered his stance and took off in a blink.

Kosi squealed with glee as K'ai wove himself between the birds and sprinted towards the eggs. " Wow, mama look! He's almost as fast as _Osu_ Ulihar!"

" Wow…" Adia whispered in agreement as she watch K'ai dive between the legs of one bird and roll between the legs of the next. The large fowl were not as equally enthralled by his display of speed.

They nervous pacing went into a full own stomping panic as the Vulcan made his way between the towards their eggs. An angry army of beaks and feet launched themselves at the long bodied male but he dodged them. Adia noticed that it was with effort that he did so and worried that the guardsman had bitten off more than he could chew.

In a matter of second K'ai snagged an egg from the next and vaulted over the clutch to make his way to a distant tree. It was clear from the speed of the ostrich male however he was not going to beat him too it. In five wide strides, the giant cockerel set himself to snapping and kicking at the Vulcan.

Adia gasped in fear and yelled from her perch on the sable. " K'ai! Drop the egg and run, you idiot!"

Whether he couldn't hear her or was refusing to listen wasn't clear but he did not relent his grip on the egg as he dodged and tried to run free of the big bird's offense. He had just danced his way free of the fowl when ostrich knocked K'ai square in the back.

"K'ai!" " Osu!" Adia and Kosi screamed in unison. K'ai went flying forward, tumbling along the ground as he caught himself but the egg flew ahead of him and smashed against the dirt with resounding crack.

K'ai reeled back and dodged the kick launched by the ostrich's two toed leg. He spied the wet mess that had once been the egg and snarled loud enough to reach Adia's ears. She watched as his eyes went wide and he scrambled to right himself. " Kosi! Du rai veh!"

Adia whipped her head around to see her daughter sprinting towards the eggs with the hens on her heels. " _No_ Kosi, stop!"

This went from stupid to down right awful in a matter of seconds but Adia knew a thing or two about fixing messes. Kicking her heels into the flank of the sable, Adia grabbed its neck and rode towards her daughter. K'ai cursed after her slinking along the male bird and flying toward her. " Adia, wait I will distract the birds go back!"

" Like hell I will!" she said smacking the sable on her hind. Just be careful she reminded herself as she rode the beast as best she could. If everyone survived she was going to kill them.

Kosi unaware of her predicament stole off with two eggs under her arms, not once breaking her stride. Problem was she was running away from her and K'ai.

Fluid as a cat K'ai pushed himself to run faster, bucking against the birds with his arms to throw them off center. " _Kosi da-tor du'ko-mehk_!" he shouted over the furious females. Adia could hear the male squawking behind her as he made his way towards the fray. This was madness.

" K'ai use your mind! Calm them!"

" There will be no calming parents whose children I am trying to steal." he shot back while pulling defense for Kosi. Kosi had finally spared a glance to see the crowd that was following her and slowed long enough for one of the hens closest to her to catch up. She glanced up at the bird as it reared back its head and prepared to peak her when K'ai leaped upon its back. Capturing its jaw in his hand, the Vulcan jammed his fingers along the hen's skull.

The bird reeled back on its feet in a series of shrill shrieks which had the others stopping in their tracks. The bird continued to sound an alarm until the flock fled back to the nest they left behind.

The male was not readily convinced but when he finally relented K'ai released his mental hold of the bird and leapt to the ground. Adia rode up alongside him as he panted into the air on his hands and knees. Kosi hurried over, eggs still huddled in her arms as she looked him over.

" K'ai are you-"

"- a moment." he grunted, catching his breath. After a few moments he shook himself like a wild dog and rose to his feet with a shake of his hands.

Adia remember how much Ralek looked forward to melding but disdained doing so with wild creatures. If you weren't too careful they could influence you from within. As watched K'ai's body twitch as he rolled his shoulders that must have been the case.

Kosi stepped between him and her mother, presenting the eggs with a heavy head. " I am sorry I was disobedient."

K'ai blinked between them before retrieving their prizes and stowing them away in their saddlebags. As he neared her, Adia turned her head away from them. He glanced towards Kosi, who looked as if she may cry like a human child and then back towards the anger woman astride the antelope. " Adia-"

" Don't either of you do that to me again."

Both Vulcans stilled as she trembled with suppressed tears. " Don't you ever do that to me again. If you all had been badly injured or worse where would we be then? Stuck out in the open savannah?!" she roared back at them. " For all your logic did you think about that?!"

K'ai stared back at her blank as a spirit mask while her daughter sniffled and hugged herself. She extended her arms towards her and she gratefully ran into them, clamoring up onto the sable to snuggle up against her mother. She smoothed down the springy hair that had freed itself from her plaits and kissed the crown of her head. " I can't lose...I don't want to lose anymore family and friends. Not if we can help it."

Kosi sniffed miserably with a nod while gave her a nod in acknowledge. He gave light brush of his hand near the base of the antelope's horns and the pair of them walked the humans back toward the animal's herd companion.

The ostriches still watched them from a distance, now more wary than ever after K'ai had touched one of their minds. He looked back over from the flock and up towards Adia's distraught face and swallowed visibly. " I am sorry to have distressed you. I was in no true danger. The additional factor of not trying to harm the birds or break the eggs made the task more difficult to achieve but not insurmountable."

" Why can't you just say sorry and leave it at that?" she sighed in exasperation. She glared at him as she rubbed the side of her face in frustration.

He turned his head towards her and for a brief moment she saw a microexpression of sadness shadow his face before it went back to the rigid carriage she was use to. " I must take care of you. I will not apologize for trying to do so. As with my rough handling of your person the night before, I only did so as a means of protecting you from others that meant you and yours harm. I however never mean to upset you."

Adia swallowed and dropped her eyes down to her daughter. She hated being dependent on others. Her pregnancy just heightened her need for assistance but Ralek had already gotten himself killed by trying to protect her. Would her inability to fend for herself bring strife and hardship on Kosi and her unborn son or get K'ai killed trying?

" I'm still tired." she said as non-apology. K'ai took it in all sincerity and tapped the antelope on its flank and jogged alongside it. " You are also still hungry. Let's get well away from this flock and settle down for a meal."

Reaching their other steed K'ai mounted the doe and whistled a command to move the antelope forward and to the left in a brisk canter. They traveled for about another league or so before coming up on a copse of trees.

A quick search of the underbrush found it clear of any beast that would gravely harm them. K'ai once again picked Adia up with a strength a man of his size should not have but she had only to look to his ears or the fierce scowling arch of his brows to remind her of his heritage. He plucked Kosi off the Sable and set about gathering food out of their baggage.

Adia moved and shifted on her feet still needing a good stretch after all that time of riding and being curled up against him. Her ears quickly filled up with the Kosi and K'ai quietly talking and the rustling of the tree boughs above. It would have all been so normal if they weren't on the run. As she found herself a nice thatch of grass mostly clear of insects, Adia reclined and stared up at the tree covered sky above. To her side she could hear Kosi busy padding through the brush looking for kindling and dry branches, while K'ai cleared a space for fire.

She must have dozed because when she blinked over again K'ai was busying instructing Kosi how best to prepare an egg to cook inside its shell. The fire had been made and tempered, nothing more that glowing embers nestling the giant eggs as Kosi dainty tapped Kai's knife blade along the top of one of them. Once the top was clear of shell Kosi search for spices in her mother's satchel and sprinkled a generous portion into the gel like liquid.

Adia sighed at the amount of salt and peppers she placed into the eggs but couldn't bring herself to warn her away from it. She wasn't over seasoning them at all but she had only packed so much with them. That salt was more precious than her young mind knew.

She looked over to where K'ai was staring out on the mara with wary eyes and studied him once more. He looked so serious for someone so young. Not even his snooty cousins carried such a severity in their appearance. He'd almost be more handsome than his brother if he didn't look so pensive. He made even the most stoic hybrid seem downright jolly.

As if he felt her eyes K'ai snapped his gaze onto her and rose from his perch on a nearby rock. Strolling over, he squatted in front of her and offered her a dry bar of sweetened millet, his water bladder and a rare treat of coconut meat. She looked up from his hand to his solemn face and he gestured towards her again to take the provisions. Slowly she rolled to a position where she could use her arms to sit up and took the food and water from his hand. His fingers and thumb grazed her the pink of her hand as she did so, making the bite wound throb once more. Their eyes met at the pain and she closed her hand around the food and placed it in her lap.

" Why does it hurt my shoulder to touch you?"

K'ai looked even more reserved if that were possibly as he took in time in answering. " I am not entirely sure. My jaw aches at your touch. It is unpleasant. I am sorry."

" Why did you give me your food? The eggs are cooking."

K'ai sighed and tilted his head towards the eggs. " There are not the size of hen's. These will require a good deal more cooking. You should eat now. As soon as they are finished cooking we will head out again. It is imperative that we do not linger in any one place for too long. We may miss our healers or have a run in with humans or rogue Vulcans."

" Everything feels like it's falling apart." she sighed softly. K'ai watched her thumb anxiously at the sides of the millet bar and made a quiet grunt of agreement. " All things do, it is the nature of life. Finding balance within it is the Vulcan way."

" But I'm not Vulcan she whispered tearily. K'ai shifted uncomfortably at the sight of her sadness and clicked his tongue. " You are not but you are one of us, Adia. We will always come to your aid. I will always assist you." he said earnestly.

As much as he was able to muster K'ai cast off his moroseness made a more neutral face. Tapping her cloth covered shoulder the young sentry smiled with his eyes. The effect it had on his overall appearance was startling. He no longer seemed like a churlish granddad trapped inside a body of a youth but struck a look that made him favor his handsome, gold eye father, Ku'li.

Adia, bite her cheek as she willed her eyes not to rove his frame for a pleasant but highly inappropriate distraction. Damned pregnancy hormones. Damned beautiful Vulcans.

" Do not put on as if you did not enjoy seeing that ostrich kick me into the air…" he hummed. She laughed with a mouth over her mouth and shook her head as if she was deciding. " I just wanted him to pluck at your hair."

" You are a cruel human woman, Adia." he teased, tapping at the food in her hand to get her to eat.

She shrugged with a mischievous smile and took a bite of the coconut. " You don't even know the half of it."

A/N: Thoughts? feelings? What do you think is going on with K'ai? Do you think Adia will be okay? How do you think Kosi is handling all of this? Is K'ai an asshole or just really Vulcan and not jovial like Ulihar?


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I keep on fretting over this story and nothing will come of it if I continue. Two more 'other folks' chapters that you can skip if you wish and then S/U on Vulcan at the Opera. I know a number of you enjoy but don't want to be overburdened with my O.C.s and I respect that I will try and mark them as such so you can just stick to the S/U storyline only. Thank you.

After making their salutations to their renewed family, the pid-kom and his uncle depart from Spock and the others as they make their way to attend to Clan matters.

"That was _certainly_ a warm welcome," Amanda intoned in English. Spock could hardly bring his eyes to look at her. Strong pangs of emotion rolled through her unchecked, buffering him like a chafing waistcloth. The news of his father's previous family, while logically given, was hard to receive in a logical fashion. His father was now completely absent within his mind - walled off in order to mourn and grieve in solitude.

As for himself, Spock felt numb. His trials out on the Mara had been enough to satisfy his need for excitement for decades to come. Coming to Vulcan and facing… this, was too much for his frayed nerves to reason.

Nyota went readily to his mother's side and put her arms around her while Kibibi and Ulihar, kindly and quickly excused themselves to follow the butler towards their quarters.

Spock shot Ulihar a look and the two of them nodded to meet up later at the pull that Spock lanced towards the sentry within their bond. His mind was once again being filled with worry and anxiety and as his bond brother had told him in their early days of _venlinahr_ , to worry was illogical.

Spock stood quietly off to the side as his mother and Nyota spoke in hushed tones and harried whispers before parting to go their separate ways. His mother met his eye and, for the first time since Nyota had come to him, Spock felt the bile-churning disdain he held towards Sarek raising up within him. "Mother-"

She raised a hand between them and gave a small but genuine smile. "I will, as always, be fine. Your father and I need to have another talk well-away from prying eyes and opinions. Whatever you felt from him dear, was only the tip of the iceberg. The news is… unsettling for everyone."

"But he has left you here,...to meditate," Spock said none too blandly. He never liked when she took these stands for him and he could feel her pain as keenly as his own. "Why not bring you with him?"

Her face hardened so sharply that Spock could hardly recognize her. She glanced over to where T'Pau and Silek had been, and back again towards him and Nyota, with a flinty stare. "Do not think that I am so soft, or that our relationship is so simple, Spock. You think you know, darling, but, frankly, you have no idea."

With that, Spock's mother turned on her heels and stormed off in the direction his father went with all the noble air and grace that T'Pau had displayed earlier, while the attending valet and maids struggled to keep up with her in a dignified manner.

Left alone in the chamber, Spock glanced down to where his bondmate was watching him. Nyota's jewelry was strangely silent as it danced around her face and shoulders. The music of the mara had left her accessories and had him suddenly wistful. He felt homesick in a land that was supposed to be his home.

When they first came into contact with the V'tosh of their homeworld, he remembered how shrilly the jewelry of the compound's inhabitants cried out at the gales whipped up by the ship's shuttlecraft. Reflecting on it now, the reaction of the inanimate adornments seemed foreboding of their upcoming separation.

He and Nyota had planned so much together to get their lives back in order after her arrival, the Maasai attack and his pon farr. They were going to strengthen their compound and that of their tribal relations but in a matter of minutes with Rovoc's chilling tale and the arrival of the VSS Golian their plans for growth and unity had been stolen once again.

And now they arrived to a new land with backwards ways and new technology beyond his pondering and a family struggling to recovery from the rift his father was lost to them and was brought back with a new family. His mother, him and Nyota.

Spock sighed and reached towards Nyota's face. She placed her hands at his waist and leaned in for him to meld but he merely ran his fingers over the silver circle discs dangling from triangular beadwork of her earrings. He sensed her confusion as he rang the flat chimes against each other and his choice not to meld when he answered her aloud. " I want your mind but in private. Our melding is not for others' eyes. I miss our home."

Nyota's gaze softened and she stepped forward into the space between them. He readily embraced her and pulled her body up from the floor to rest his cheek against the crown of her head. Spock sighed again and closed his eyes against their fusing emotions. " We should not have left."

" Oh Spock…" Nyota whispered against his chest. Even with the heavier gravity her frame still felt light in his arms although she was emitting a great deal more heat. " We'll be back. You honored your father in coming."

" Did I, k'diwa? I came out of piety, not of logical reasoning. You and I had so much to establish there at the compound and-"

" You do not need to explain it to me." Nyota said softly, nuzzling closer.

Spock furrowed his brows and regarded his mate in their bond. " What do you mean?"

Gently Nyota took his hand and placed it by her nerve at her jaw. Blurry images of her childhood plans and dreams flowed between them and as Spock adjusted his grip the memories took focus. An intention, similar to what Spock felt in setting his people and their homestead to rites swelled in his chest as he reviewed them further.

As enjoyable as it was to share her mind, Spock was just about to question the relevancy when the shadowy haze of his visit came over her. Just as he intended, no clear memories where leave behind but the depression that followed her marking came to his mind in startling clarity.

Nyota had many things she sought out to do for herself when Spock came along and disrupted her. Shame flooded him as Spock reviewed her sharp emotions at the time of her fallout and was guilted into silence.

How quickly he had forgotten how much he had taken from Nyota and how wise was she to understand that things fall apart. That he was mourning the brief separation of his homeland to his bondmate sickened him. " Forgiveness, Nyota." he begged quietly as he started to withdraw his hand from her jaw.

Nyota said nothing but held his hand to keep it at her face. Just as the misery of her capture assaulted him earlier so did the subsequent happiness she felt as she grew to know and understand her new husband. And love him wholeheartedly.

Spock blinked down at her, all at once humbled and proud, to have her. His mouth worked itself open and close to tell her as much but he was at a loss for words. Nyota chuckled quietly and turned her face to give his thumb a chaste kiss and took command of the conversation.

" No offense is taken where none is given. I love you and I am here for you. We will go back. We will restore peace to the mara and the houses of our people. I will teach, you will work and we will be a family but we will also help your father in his time of need and see to renewing relations among the Vulcan people. Remember your namesake, Spock."

" Uniter." he replied with a nod and Nyota moved his hand to kiss his fingers. He inhaled sharply at her intimate touch and looked nervously around the chamber. She gave a wide smirk at his embarrassment and wiggled to be put down which he happily obliged with a slight blush to his ears.

Once on her feet again Nyota walked in the opposite direction of where his parents had departed and out the door that where they had not entered in from. " You have your work cut out for you, Uniter. You not only have to see to the mara but to different worlds as well."

Spock huffed affably at her assessment as he followed along behind her and filled their bond with his amusement. " An accurate assumption. Fortunately, I have a bondmate to help teach me in this."

With his family and friends still out of sight, Spock and Nyota took to roaming the halls and inspecting their temporary home. It was strange for him to think he would have been raised here among these wall. The thought alone of this enormous palace as that of his own had Spock reeling.

The whole of the plot was half as large as their crater back home if he had to estimate. It was far too large for one family but then again it was suppose to house the whole of his clan.

Spock glanced around the silent corridor and furrowed his brows. He hadn't seen anyone outside of his pid-kom and sa-kuk Silek. Where had the rest of his family gone? His pid-kom had mention a series of unfortunate events at the disappearance of his father from Vulcan but had that truly led to the downfall of most of their clan's members?

A rustling noise from up ahead of them drew Spock's attention away from their immediate surroundings and up towards the large concourse ahead. " Nyota...there is something there. Up ahead..."

Nyota stopped in front of him and gave Spock a confused frown from over her shoulder. " Something? Not someone?"

Spock cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on the sound. " It is not bipedal. Unless my family has taken to walking on fours I do not believe it to be human or Vulcan."

Nyota's mouth twisted further as she shook her head at his answer. " What other being would be in this hou-"

" _ARRAAAWAAGGH_ "

Spock startled backwards while Nyota clapped her hands around her ears at ear splitting shriek. The duotone roar reverberated off of the wall and visibly rattled the scrolls hanging on their hook.

What in the Mara's name made that sound. Nyota inhaled sharply beside him and Spock followed her gaze back down the corridor.

Down at the end of the hall, a huge mass of brown was barrelling towards them with deep, hollow-chested pants. Somewhere in the middle of the rushing blur, a large pair of dark, gold eyes peered out and locked onto the pair. As Spock met its gaze, the creature bellowed again, further disturbing the air with its voice.

Spock stepped back beside Nyota and watched the running creature for further assessment. It was closing the distance between them unnervingly fast without showing any signs of slowing. Nyota cried out with a warrior's yell and unsheathed her blade as she eyed the creature. " I care not to be eaten today!"

" I do not believe it will come down to that, k'diwa." he rushed, outstretching his arms to block her. As much as Spock wanted to rely on his knowledge and experience, this was not his homeworld nor was this an animal he grew up with. Before he could stop himself from thinking things through the urge to protect Nyota from whatever this threat was rose to the forefront of his mind.

Spock reflexively put out his arm to push Nyota between him and the large beast and glared at him but this did not halt the beast's progress. The closer it came the more his mind sought to identify it.

It almost seemed...familiar...yes he knew this thing, though not from his own memories. A Sehlat, yes, that what it was. He knew what it was, from the ship's databanks and his father's memory, but neither had left him with the impression that the beast would be so large and formidable. His canines were nearly as big as his wife's forearm.

As it bounded closer, Spock went into a defensive crouch and narrowed his eyes in warning. The animal ignored his posturing and loped over in front of him. "Be gone!" Spock ordered with a jut of his chin to the side. "Off to the wild!"

The creature merely bowed onto his forelimbs and snuffed at him with a lick of its nose. Why wasn't this wild thing scared of him? Why was it so playful? " Leave us! Go!"

"Mo'ja! To me!"

The furry mass turned its head and hurried over to a dapper-looking Vulcan gent. Spock looked up in surprise as he hadn't even heard or seen him enter the hall. The newcomer extended his arms with a grace similarly to the others Spock had encountered but something seemed different.

He didn't look unlike any of the other Vulcans he had seen driving up tending to the estate, who had been plainly dressed. This male's clothes looked more in line with some of the fashion he saw on the younger Vulcans waiting to receive their family at the hanger. His robes weren't as tight as the ones Spock had been fitted with nor did they billow out like those of his father's. He was draped in a lighter shade of blue than his own with identical stitching along the lapel and seams and his hair was immaculately cut. He looked like a lord.

The saber tooth beast sat obediently in front of the male and lolled his head into the male's hand. Slowly the male came up to rest between his hand fuzzy, arched ears and regarded them. "My apologies. Mo'ja is fond of greeting our guests first."

Spock tilted his head and regarded the pair. "That creature is known to you?"

The male nodded and scratched under its chin, much to the sehlat's delight. "It is my sehlat. My pet. Did you not have such a companion on Terra? I was told that the fauna there far surpassed what we have here in biodiversity. Is that not so?"

Spock swallowed and straightened, with Nyota peeking around behind him. He tapped her wrist that was hidden from the male's view to coax her into sheathing her dagger. He was grateful for her reflexive draw, but the last thing he wanted was a dispute over a slain animal of considerable emotional value. "We did not keep such creatures. Those who did not serve us for milk, eggs, or transportation we left to the wild."

The male seemed startled by this notion as he tilted his head with a blink. "Truly. No birds or small mammals to bond with?"

Spock huffed quietly in annoyance as he stared at the sehlat laying down at its master's feet. "We did not have time for such luxuries. All the infrastructure we required we had to build on our own. Farming for food, water filtration system to produce enough water to drink and bathe in, and shelters to protect and hide who and what we were from the local population of Terra."

The male nodded at the logic of it and caught sight of Nyota. "Is that one of the humans? May I see her?"

Spock sighed with a nod and guided Nyota out from behind him. Nyota came willingly with her jewelry ringing all around her. "You are correct; she is human. Her name is Nyota. She is…"

The male gave a slight lift of his brow as he eyed Nyota in awe. "Ah, is she your pet, then? She is quite fetching. I would be most honored to pet her, if I may?"

Nyota glared and quietly cursed at him in Maa. Spock did not need the aid of the meld to more or less gather what she said. Spock slowly blinked as the meeting between the three of them continued to grow more tense. There was no way he would allow a male, even one with begged permission to touch her in such a fashion. It would be demeaning at best. "No, Nyota is not a pet. She is my wife. We are bondmates."

"Fascinating," the other answered as his gaze took on a new expression at this information. "And the bond... everything between you is satisfactory?"

"More than that. Our union is exemplary," Spock replied with a touch of pride.

Nyota leaned beside him and smiled. She felt pleasure at his declaration and wanted him to know it.

The male studied her grinning face and made a sound of amusement. "She is most expressive. Tell me, is she displaying happiness?"

"I am happy with my husband," Nyota answered blandly still looking up at his face. She had spoken in Vulcan and put the newcomer on edge. Spock indulged himself in a little bit of humor as he watched the young lordling roll the newfound knowledge over in his mind. Spock was rewarded seconds later when he saw a flash of understanding slowly brighten the male's eyes. Nyota had understood everything he had said earlier. _Everything_.

The Vulcan male blinked rapidly and fingered at his robes in an action that humans might have described as being sheepish. "By Surak, she speaks Vulcan. My lady, it is an honor. I meant no offense calling you a pet earlier, I was unaware of your…"

"Intelligence? Yes, I am very much self aware and able to converse with the best of you," she said smugly. Spock glanced down at her and she lifted a brow at him, daring him to comment otherwise. Spock coolly looked away and heard her suppressed laughter in response.

"My pardon. It is my own ignorance of your species that caused my offense," he said with a quick bow. "Apologies, my lord and lady."

"No offense is had where none is taken, of course," Spock said, trying to save face for the other male. Nyota was no longer put off, but amused by the stranger. Best to make their introductions so everyone could gain a clearer idea of things. "I am Spock and this is she who is my wife, S'chn T'gai Nyota Uhura."

The stranger's eyes widen briefly both bouncing between the two of them. "S'chn T'gai? We are kin. My apologies once more. I am Rulok, son of Silek of the same clan."

"I am the son of Sarek."

Rulok moved his hands in a pattern Spock did not recognize but the excitement was clear to see in his eyes. Even Mo'ja raised his head off of the floor at his master's sudden elation. "Ah! We are first cousins. What a grand and fortuitous meeting, srei (male cousin). I was indisposed earlier with a prior engagement with my intended's family and could not be there to receive you all. You would allow me the honor of showing you and your bonded around the compound? I assume that you have just arrived?"

"We have. We would welcome a tour and to see our quarters, thereafter, if it's acceptable?" Nyota answered for them, much to Rulok's and Spock's pleasure.

Spock could not be certain of his cousin's pride, but worried that Nyota had been gravely offended at Rulok's erroneous assumption of her status and purpose. Admittedly, he was still somewhat miffed himself but, seeing Nyota speak freely with no signs of discomfort, soothed him.

A _pet_. Indeed. If it were to come down to a battle of wills, Spock knew who would be the one following the other's beck and call and it would not be the human.

Rulok was none the wiser of Spock's musings, and carried on in his excitement at his newly-discovered family. The effect was endearing as well as telling for his age. Rulok looked to be no more older than Ulihar's younger brother K'ai. That's where the comparison would end however. His cousin was the same pale shade as he was and free of any blemishes and scars like most of the youth back at the compound wore. His dark eyes were set in a handsome face that had seen little to known hardship, full, verdant and well-nourished. His steady gaze made him appear kind and intelligent, as if he took time to think of things beyond himself and about the lives of others.

And as tall, rangy and sharp featured as the K'goa's were, his cousin had a build much like his own, trim cut to evenly fill his frame. His hands seemed delicate poking out from the muted sleeves of his robe, like he only used them to point and gesture at things. They certainly didn't look anything like the rough-hewn pair that Spock had gained from building their home and tending to cattle.

Living and working on the mara and eating what the could of Terra's botanical bounty, had seen much of his childhood softness melted away, leaving him hard and more severe looking than his Vulcan kin.

Rulok's posture also spoke to Spock, like a reed unbent by the wind. He carried his weight evenly throughout his foot and held his back shock-straight. If Spock were to guess - as much as he loathed to do so - he would surmise that his younger srei had never fought. What a privilege and burden to be ignorant of such things. One should know how to defend one's self, master the external as they worked to bring their internal being to peace. Reviewing Rulok's actions but perhaps the softness Spock saw there in his gaze was due to the fact he had never killed someone.

He might grow taller after his time but that would still be for a while yet. He was full-bloodied and would mature much less slowly than Spock would. Spock found that he wasn't bothered by that fact, given his wife's own quickened blood. "It is most acceptable, krei (female cousin). I would also like to give you the option of riding Mo'ja. No offense to your person, but you look light enough to do so. He does enjoy giving rides as long as you thank him for his service with a scratch beneath his chin or behind his ears."

Nyota fidgeted under the weight of their collective gazes and struggled to find her words. "I uhh-"

"She would be most pleased to," Spock said with a twinkle in his eye. Nyota gave him an exasperated huff and a murderous glare as Rulok turned to brush his fingers at the large ursa-canid's face. Something passed between them, quick and fluid, brightening both of their eyes as his young cousin told the sehlat of his task.

The large beast shuffled forward once more, sniffing curiously at Nyota's face and torso, before nuzzling affectionately at her stomach. She threw her arms into the air and gave Rulok an expression of concern. "What is it doing?!"

Amusement was full in Rulok's eyes as he came to stand beside her with Spock in between them. "He is marking you as a member of his den litter. So other sehlats would know that you are belonging to this one."

"Hmm," Nyota hummed, nonplussed by the animal's claim of her person. Directing her gaze at Spock, she whispered towards his face. "It's always something with you and yours. Always with the marking things."

Rulok gave Spock a questioning look at her comment, but Spock gave him a quick promise to inform him later with a dismissive shake of his head. There was much to learn between them, but too much of it needed a foundation of information.

Mo'ja gently lowered himself to the floor and gave a loud exhale across Nyota's sandaled feet that fluttered the tassels attached to the thongs. Again Nyota looked to Rulok for guidance but Spock led his hands around her waist and placed her on the massive space between its furred shoulders.

With a grace that one wouldn't think such a bulky form could perform, Mo'ja rose and stood in front of Rulok and awaited his master's guidance. Spock watched as Nyota gently tested scratching between Mo'ja's ears and bit back her laughter as the beast angled its head to where he wanted her hand with a humorous coo.

It seemed like a tame-enough beast, Spock thought, bringing his own hand out for inspection. Mo'ja's large, golden eyes rolled down towards Spock's hand as he stepped towards it and sniffed at his arm. After a few whiffs, the Sehlat bumped his palm with his dry nose and smoothed his cheek across his fingers. Spock brushed gently them over his pelt and paused in wonder.

Mo'ja's coat was surprisingly soft, the same color and creaminess as freshly-churned butter. " He is softer than a lion's cub."

The sehlat's thick tongue came spiralling out to lick against his forearm at Spock's compliment and left him with a strange, sticky coat of slime along his hand. Spock pursed his lips and discreetly wiped his hand at his side. Not discreet enough as he catches Nyota muffling her mouth as she laughs at him. She bites her lip when he raised his brow at her but winks soon after.

Rulok hummed quietly and nodded his head towards Spock. "You must be careful when touching him to not think of food, lest you become covered in drool. Well let's be off, then. I shall show you the whole of D'H'riset, and then to your rooms."

"Please proceed," Spock nodded, drawing his hand away from the lumbering sehlat. " And if it were possible, could you please show us to a tailor or clothing stall?"

Rulok tilted his head and moved his brows in a way Spock has seen with his father when he was puzzling over something. " Clothing stall? Are you referring to a store, such as one in the mall?"

" The mall?" Spock answered back with the same look of confusion.

Nyota leaned between them while still astride Mo'ja and tsk'ed them. " We have a great deal to talk about."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Terra V'Tosh chapter with K'ai still in search of T'Kaas. Kosi finds trouble and K'ai shares something with both Adia and her daughter.

After the spoils of their fight with the ostriches had finished cooking, the trio clamored back onto the antelope and trekked over onto the path towards the villages.

Adia ate one of the two eggs as they went, feeding Kosi bits of the yolk while pestering K'ai to try and eat some of the white. He eagerly engaged her in a debate over the pros and cons of doing so but it was becoming abundantly clear the young Vulcan had no intention at all of trying to eat any part of the egg. White or otherwise.

Unlike his elder brother Ulihar, K'ai was more strict with his diet. If it weren't for his fond love of dairy the hazel eyed Vulcan would have been a proper vegan. His love of milk had been something his brothers had teased him about as he was the last one to leave their mother's breast. Ulihar encouraged his peers to join in with their taunting but it only succeeded in having K'ai be bull-headed about it.

As it was K'ai had been very much a big-headed child with stocky frame. He remained that way until he had his first time growth spurt and grew agreeably into both. Just as long and lean as his kin, K'ai was a prime example of the K'goah's familial line. Tall, sharply cut and tan as a springbok, he could have easily been mistaken for a full bloodied Vulcan, but they were there to remind him and the other hybrids of their place.

If Adia had heard any of their childhood taunting, she did not relay it. She instead, ribbed him about being too thin to be handsome. He took all her jests in stride and replied with how illogical she was. In truth it was more that he noticed how teasing him temporarily kept Adia from her grief, which he could felt every time he touched her. And sometimes when he wasn't.

As day folded over into night and back into day once more, K'ai tried all manner of things to distract the widowed mother from the sadness he knew to be lurking near the surface.

He was worried about Adia. She was mourning Ralek but had not grieved him. She seemed to be plodding along for the sake of her children but the young guard was concerned about the condition of her mind.

It was not good for humans to be in such a state - even worse for Vulcans but, from what K'ai could perceive, Kosi and Adia's unborn kan-bu were faring better than she.

K'ai watched her, sleeping beside him with a brooding frown over her face. She had pitched herself back and forth upon the ground during the night, unable to gain a comfortable sleeping position but eventually being overtaken by exhaustion.

It was the early morning of their third day out and there were still no signs of either Ikeno or T'Kaas. The compound's third and only other healer, Go'an, had been gone for sometime scouting new areas for possible settlement and visiting outlying established ones.

After Nirak's deception, the guardsman feared that Go'an might not be returning. Statistically, given Rovoc's claims under duress and the untold number of defectors, chances were the priest had likely met his fate either at the hands of delusional Vulcans or angry nations hoping to avenge their women.

K'ai sniffed at the air, blinking away the dew that had collected on his lashes the night before. The sunlight broke along its spectrum of color as it struck the lingering water and gave a surreal sight to the savannah beyond their lean-to.

He rubbed absently at his scarred arm as he pondered further over Go'an's absence. Logically, he should not put weight into any one outcome but he did hope that Go'an had learned of the followers of Jurok and hidden himself away. If he had in fact died, K'ai did not want their small party to follow his fate.

The air felt damp and the skies were darkening with the threat of rain. Monsoon season was nearly upon them and they had nowhere to take proper shelter out in the open Mara. As much as he wanted to push them to go faster to avoid oncoming storms, K'ai dare not move Adia more than he had too.

Riding, for those who weren't used to the exercise, was surprisingly, very fatiguing. Even walking wore on her body, what with the added weight and blood circulating throughout her system, but Adia would push herself without complaint until both he and Kosi had to order her to stop.

 _She should be resting, fattening herself up for birthing and nursing,_ he thought. _Instead, the cruelty of my traitorous brethren has her trudging through the bush and melting away whatever reserves she has in the hot sun._

K'ai balled his hand against his bicep and peered out to where Kosi was foraging in the grass. Young thing that she was, Kosi had no business out here either. She had not even reached eleven summers to go out and master her emotions and the land.

What had Nirak and the others been thinking, to do such evil against their own? Why would so many of them willfully leave the way of logic for a path of destruction? Their current course will surely bring about the anarchists' demise. They had to be reasons that Jurok had not succeeded in becoming more respected and renown than Surak, survival being chief among them.

K'ai hoped that those of his brethren who stayed true to the teachings of Surak had parlayed with the humans and come out relatively unscathed. What is, is, if they had not.

Adia whined fitfully beside him and rolled onto her back with a huff. K'ai eyed her stomach as the babe within pawed at his mother's belly. The small outline of a foot bumped along the smooth, brown surface of her midriff, shocking and fascinating his senses.

A stray thought as to the health of the babe pulled urgently at his mind as he eyed her stomach. K'ai remembered that the healers stood in for the human mothers' lack of psionic abilities and would link the two together to grow their bond. From the look of agitation in the movements he spied, it looked as if the kan-bu was seeking out a mental connection after going so long without any.

With Ralek's passing, Nirak out of the question and T'Kaas still nowhere in sight, K'ai would mostly likely have to step in. He stared down at his own hands and neatly folded his long fingers over his palms.

Touching Adia had upset him greatly and now, whenever he did so, it nagged at his skin for hours on end. It would be better to instruct Kosi in how to do such a thing, but she is still only a child and has very little experience handling her telepathy. Perhaps not enough experience to manipulate a growing infant's mind…

K'ai exhaled sharply and rolled his shoulders after exhausting his options and felt the burden of possibly melding with the infant weigh on his sense of responsibility for Ralek's family. He would not or, rather, could not bring himself to offer such a thing for Adia and her baby, but if she were to ask, K'ai would take her request under consideration.

He sat up straighter in the perch of the small shelter he had constructed and studied Adia as she snored softly in the muggy air. Her waist beads were barely visible below her belly, riding low and tight along her hip in thin stripes of red, yellow, and black. He had seen her and some of the other humans bartering for them from Spock's Nyota. The beads were used as a way of tracking weight, pregnancy and attracting their husband's attention. At that, the thought of Ralek possibly musing over Adia as he did just now, plagued his mind with guilt.

How many times had the senior guardsman watched his sleeping wife like this, admired her in the quiet of the morning when she was most peaceful? How many times had Ralek wished to never take such moments for granted?

K'ai blinked down towards his feet and bit the inside of his mouth. It was not fair that Adia had not been given a chance to return to her husband's ka'tra. Even more, she had not been allowed to relieve her pain with the courtesy of privacy.

Idly he wondered if the tribes of the Magabi village mourned like those of Kikuyu, the Maasai or the Turkana.

K'ai knew from his mother that her Turkana nation did very little by way of burial, if the person was not important within the village. Most were left to the hyenas, vultures and other scavengers to be freed of their flesh and released to dwell with Akuj in the sky with the rest of their ancestors.

Village elders, diviners and chiefs, however, were buried in the floor of their hut with a pad of butter in their mouths as a provision for their journey. From there they were blessed with parting words to leave peacefully and not to burden the living. The huts they were buried inside of were subsequently torn down or abandoned, as no one, of course, wanted to live with the dead.

The Kikuyu like Esha, had a lot of singing involved with their bereavement. He had heard her singing such a mourning song when _S'haile_ Spock had been returned to the compound near to his death.

It was something that had haunted K'ai in his thoughts over human behavior. That strange lilting song, that rose and fell like a dark, hovering cloud of a hundred singing birds had stuck in his mind like tree sap for days. The more he tried to dismiss it, the louder and more frequently it would come to him in his moments of quiet when he sought to meditate.

When others had joined the Kikuyu woman in mourning the young lord, the sound of it was so supernatural that K'ai had illogically worried that something might have been actually listening, something that they could not see or touch but, more disturbingly, feel.

For K'ai, human ways were not always amusing or dull witted; sometimes they were unsettling.

K'ai searched his memories of the day the S'chn T'gais were attacked for Adia's presence. When he found her within his recollections, she had been weeping loudly with her kinswomen but had not opened her mouth to sing.

Perhaps the Magabi people did not ritually mourn the dead at all? K'ai hoped that was not the case. He wished he had the counsel of T'sai Amanda as she had studied the most of the tribal nations' culture as her profession. She would surely have been able to help him in his current quest for knowledge.

He wanted to help Adia through her mourning for her well-being, the babe's, and that of his own. Her kanlar would no doubt pick up on his mother's depression and suffer because of it. No matter how prickly she was to handle now, Adia was a bright and spirited person. K'ai could assign neither superlative to her as she was now, and that bothered him greatly. Adia should be happy and that she was crestfallen bothered him more than he thought it should. Deeper than he knew it should.

"What are you staring at?"

K'ai snapped his focus downward and blinked at her sleep ridden face. "I was lost in thought. I was not truly staring at anything."

She groaned and rolled over onto her side, making dry, huffy noises as she went, until she was sitting upright with her legs crossed in front of her. He did not think it possible but she appeared sadder than she had when she was sleeping. "Are you well, Adia?"

She groaned again and arched her back with audible pops. "As well as can be expected. Not exactly comfortable lodging. Where is Kosi?" she croaked looking around them.

"She is foraging for food. She assured me that she has done so before. I can see her from here," he said quietly, with a quick glance out to the plain. She was still there, picking through the tall grass and not sparing them one moment's attention.

At his answer, Adia visibly slumped. The action was done out of relaxation or perhaps from worry, he could not be sure without knowing her mind. He ground his thumb into the itch biting at his palm and studied her for a moment before asking a not so delicate question. "I am uncertain of the grieving protocol that your people perform. I wish to do so with you, to honor your late _Sa-telsu and my t'hy'la_."

At the mention of her husband, Adia's face hardened until it resembled that of a Vulcan's. It was very unpleasant. "Do not trouble yourself with rites at the moment," she replied belatedly.

"I do not bring it up callously, Adia. For you to be at your best-"

"For me to be at my best I need to not be questioned first thing after waking up and with no food or drink to welcome me," she huffed angrily, cutting him off. Faster than he thought wise, Adia rocked onto her hands and knees and stood up to stretch.

K'ai closed his mouth and gave a slight nod. He had been too Vulcan in the delivery of his query. Humans were a strange lot when it came to emotions, but even he could see the reason behind the desire to converse on full belly and full awareness. "My pardon."

"Where's Kosi?" she asked, ignoring his apology. Her full attention was focused out on the open side of the lean to as she searched the plains. "Wasn't she just there?"

K'ai rose from his seat and peered over her head, quickly surveying the area for the kanlar. "I do not see her-"

"Oh God, where is she!? Kosi! Kosi!" Adia screeched into air. Waddling over to her sandals, Adia prepared to go out in search for her.

Moving in front of the terrified mother, K'ai raised his hand for silence and flared his nostrils with a noisy sniff. "I do not see her but I smell her nearby. In addition, I do not smell blood or anything that immediately troubles me."

Adia swallowed a sigh of relief and nodded as she panted from her panic. "I see, I see. Let's find her," she urged, ringing her puffy hands together.

K'ai gazed down at her stricken face and felt a different worry assailing him. She should not be so anxious, it is not good for her or her baby. " Let us go."

K'ai retrieved his spear and knife and headed out with Adia waddling at his heels. For someone so encumbered, she certainly moved spryly when she wanted to. They found Kosi two minutes later when they crested over a boulder, down in the grass below. Adia sighed happily in relief as she caught sight of her. "Oh, thank heavens! Kosi! Kosi, what are you-?"

K'ai stiffened at the scene before him. As Adia pondered over her daughter's actions, the guardsman could see very well what she was up too. Crouched down on her hands and knees, Kosi's body moved quietly through the grass towards her intended prey. A poorly-chosen prey, at that.

Only a few feet from where she stalked it, a black mamba sat heavily in the low bough of a fever tree. It was still relatively relaxed but K'ai knew from experience that the snake's calm demeanor would be short-lived once he took note of them. Even now the large snake's head had turned in her direction with its slick, black tongue scenting the air in interest.

K'ai held out his hand and freed his blade with the other. " Adia, do not move from here." he pressed tersely as he eyed the snake. After she reluctantly nodded her acceptance, K'ai set out for Kosi at the bottom of the huge bluff.

Mambas, whether green, black or otherwise, were frightfully aggressive and lighting quick. Fear burned through him as K'ai worked his way quickly down the boulder in order to get between the two. He thought to call out to Kosi but he did not want to startle either her or the snake more than he had to.

Once he was about five or so feet from the ground, he took a calculated leap into the air. Adia gasped loudly from up above him as K'ai dove down in front of Kosi and eyed the snake warily.

Landind before his charge, the Vulcan mind housed inside of him took rigorous note of everything to relay the best outcome. The reptile appeared to be of average length - about twenty-four hands, and with a reach about a third of that for its strike. As he moved through the air, the snake had snapped its attention onto him, uncoiling itself from the branches in preparation to attack.

From there, time slowed as K'ai pushed Kosi further back behind himself and launched himself forward. The mamba lashed out in sync, opening its inky, black maw to defend itself against the big Vulcan. The fractions of seconds they spent in the air stretched into what felt like minutes as K'ai corrected his trajectory and went headlong towards the 8-foot serpent.

He vaguely heard Adia yelling from above and Kosi stumbled down onto her backside from the force of his shove. Reflexively, K'ai's hand surged forward and caught the mamba around its neck.

The animal twisted and struggled in the tight ring of his hold as he looked off to the west. Water was shimmering in the near distance and it was towards there that he cocked his hand back and tossed the serpent.

K'ai watched the snake writhe through the air and hit what he assumed to be a watering hole with a dim-sounding splash. He looked after the frightened reptile until he observed the creature slither out of the water and reenter the brush.

"K'ai! Come back up here with Kosi! Now!" Adia shouted anxiously. K'ai nodded and the pair of them nimbly made their way back up the rock face to where Adia was impatiently pacing.

As soon as they summited the large boulder, Adia took Kosi by the shoulders and glared at her. "Child, what were you thinking?!"

Kosi stared back at her mother evenly but K'ai could tell from the way she wrung her hands together, the ko-kanlar was chastened by her mother's anger and fright. "I was scouting for food when I noticed a nest there in the fever tree. I also saw the mamba and thought I could shoo it away just as Osu K'ai did with the ostriches…"

The two of them sighed as they took in Kosi's line of thought. He hadn't thought that she would have been so thoroughly influenced by his linking with the bird that she would try it on her own. If he had, he would have to warn her away from it as soon as he suspected the urge.

K'ai rolled his shoulders and sucked loudly between his teeth. It was an anxious, human reaction of his, annoying as it was relieving. It was his fault Kosi went off as she did and he'd have to see about righting his wrong.

K'ai hunched down into a squat and spoke with Kosi like he had observed Adia perform frequently, with his arms propped up loosely over his knees. "Kosi, melding is not so easy a thing."

Kosi nodded but rushed to lessen their concern with the facts she had in hand. "I have done so before and found the exercise to be simple. My father has shown me. All Vulcans can." At the mention of her father, Kosi's face folded into a small hint of sadness. K'ai gave her a nod and tried to steer clear of any more mention of Ralek.

"True. Melding comes naturally to us as Vulcans but it is a skill that must be trained, just as a kan-bu learns to crawl, then walk and finally run."

Kosi sighed and fidgeted on her feet with a look that told him she still believed she could have successfully thwarted the serpent. It was just the expression he was hoping to discard. "Kosi, did your father ever tell you how my sa-kai, Ulihar, received his blind eye or I, this scar on my arm?"

Kosi shook her head along with Adia, who had been following their conversation. K'ai glanced at both of them before coming to a decision. "I would show you, both of you, if I have your permission, Adia?"

Adia blinked rapidly and gave herself a quick hug before nodding. "Alright. Just let me see what she sees, eh?"

"You will both witness the same scene and be subject to no more than that," he assured her as she slowly gathered herself to sit beside him. Kosi went protectively in front of her mother but angled the temple of her head for viewing. Even now, it seemed that the child did not wholly trust him when it came to handling her mother.

K'ai drew a deep breath and reviewed his current course of action with a grim set to his mouth. He didn't have to meld with either of them, just simply tell the story instead but he wanted to press upon Kosi the seriousness of her actions. Within himself, however, K'ai sought their deeper understanding of his person.

Most of their interactions, as of late, had been endearing or enlightened. Perhaps with the meld, the two females could see a side of him that he could not show externally. Until he had forced the pair out of their home, the most they had ever exchanged had been salutations.

Reaching out his arms, K'ai wrestled with the sense of impropriety. They had of course given him permission but it was still quite an intimate act to share one's mind. As he touched Adia's and Kosi's faces his thoughts were already bleeding into them.

 _I will not linger nor intrude. No undue stress shall be placed upon them,_ he assured himself as he spoke aloud to signal his arrival. " _Nahp, hif bi tu throks._ (My thoughts to your thoughts. My mind to your mind.)"

With a vertigo-like churn, K'ai pulled them down and into his memory.

 _He opened his eyes to the mara and immediately saw his brothers before him. Distantly, he felt Adia startle at the scene and Kosi's mind lean forward in typical Vulcan curiosity. His late brother Li'fal, who was alive and well within his memories, was arguing passionately with their lanky giant of a brother, Ulihar about ethics._

 _The eldest ignored both him and Li'fal as he came to the edge of a bluff and sat back on his haunches like an irritated hunting dog._

 _It was Ulihar's fifth time out on the mara free of supervision and he sought to practice his melding and mastery over the land. Today, he wanted to meld with something extraordinary, something dangerous. Li'fal, who was closer in age and in bond with Ulihar, glowered at him as he felt his older brother's intentions._

" _You are bringing trouble upon yourself, Ulihar. Needlessly so."_

 _Ulihar replied without sparing him a glance, scanning the brush as he looked for prey. "I know what I am doing, Li'fal. Stop your clucking like a hen." he huffed pulling his mouth free of his shuka._

 _K'ai felt the memory of his younger self shift closer to Ulihar, swept up in the joy that one experiences when on an outing with family. His brothers were not unkind to him, but rarely engaged him in games that were appropriate for his age. It was out of the norm for them to let him join their activities but Ulihar readily called for him in their bondlink and met him at the northern gate. He hadn't questioned why, just simply ran after his eldest brother and obeyed._

 _Now as they huddled along the bluff, K'ai's young mind was wrestling with whose argument was the more logical one to side with. He did not want to choose. He greatly admired them both but could feel his preference for Ulihar's company. Li'fal could be sour at times, like now but did have sound points._

 _Li'fal huffed at both of them as K'ai settled down beside Ulihar, his golden eyes judging them as they ignored his warnings. " Very well. I do not know why I expected you to be reasonable about this or anything else you do, Harly."_

" _Be quiet, Li'fal you are scaring everything away," Ulihar growled with a his lip curled over his teeth._

 _Li'fal narrowed his eyes back at him but stayed his hand in challenging the eldest further. As he saw it, there was no use physically fighting if Ulihar was just going to go ahead and do as he pleased thereafter._

 _K'ai felt his small hands itching with the exciting possibility to meld with something himself. His father had been too busy with pottery for the upcoming settlements to guide him out into the bush very often and even then it was mostly to master his emotions. Maybe they would snag a wild cat! It would be interesting to see what they thought as they went about the savannah. Or maybe a warthog boar! He flexed his fingers impatiently and vaguely sensed Kosi's mind nod at his assessment._

 _Ulihar rose up into a crouch and nearly shouted with delight. "I found one!"_

 _Li'fal towered over both of them and glanced out towards the field. "Found one of what?"_

 _Ulihar shot up from his spot and took off into a light trot. "A compromise. Something that is not large, but is dangerous."_

 _K'ai moved his short legs after him and Li'fal as they scaled down the rock and into the gold-green grass of the mara plain. They hadn't gone far before Ulihar drew them to a halt with his long arms outstretched. "There. Foraging in the holes."_

 _The three of them craned their attention through the eyes of the younger K'ai and settled on the long, ivory form of a Jameson's mamba, or what K'ai's mother called a white tree cobra, sliding free of a gerbil's nest. It looked like its hunt had been fruitless and it was seeking to settle back into the airy shelter of its habitual tree._

 _Li'fal cursed above him while Ulihar crawled closer. "You fool. You cannot take on a mamba. You are going to get yourself killed."_

" _Mamba venom cannot kill Vulcans," Ulihar hissed between his teeth, stalking over towards the rodent nest. He was edging over to the side away from the wind to avoid the snake's tongue catching his scent. Like most animals on the mara, snakes did not know what to make of the alien Vulcans. Most of them got frightened and wary beasts were not so easily handled._

" _You are not fully Vulcan," his middle brother shot back, trailing after him with K'ai on his heels. The muscle memory of stalking behind them filled K'ai with a sense of sad excitement as he tried hard to quiet his movements. Kosi questioned his morose emotion but he only urged her to continue viewing the melded scene._

" _I am as Vulcan as any in the compound," Ulihar growled behind him. Even at that young age, K'ai knew how the words wounded his brother. While K'ai sought the acceptance of his brothers, Ulihar had been working diligently to gain the favor of his full-blooded peers. He had not been so fortunate in his trials._

 _Maybe that's why he was questing as he was after some dangerous beast to meld with? It was sure to gain him popularity in the eyes of T'Pring, Stonn, and the others but K'ai couldn't help but see the logic of his middle brother's words. Why should Ulihar do something outlandish to gain the acceptance of others? Should he even want to be in the company of such delinquent peers?_

 _Was it illogical to do something so foolhardy simply to impress your peers? He could not see how Ulihar would even bother himself with such matters. S'haile Spock and their cousin T'izh very much held Ulihar in high respect and they were just as, if not more, superior to the others in nobility and company. But still, his eldest brother pressed on, creeping towards the snake that was longer than either of them were tall._

 _About eight feet away, the serpent's tongue flickered in their direction and drew its body into a tight, defensive ball. The trio fanned out with Ulihar closest to the snake and K'ai furthest back near the bank of the grass. As they moved, the snake finally caught sight of what it scented and made a hasty retreat for the nearest tree. Ulihar was at its tail in a matter of seconds, dodging its head as the pale mamba reared back and struck out for his leg. He cross-stepped and simultaneously caught its tail._

 _With a quick tug of its tail to throw it off balance from its initial strike, the serpent wobbled into the air, and Ulihar shot out his hand to seize its head. Ulihar adjusted his grip on its neck and crowed with success._

" _Ha! See, I told you, you golden-eye warthog, that I could do it. Ah, look at it. It is beautiful. So smooth, like soft, pebble leather."_

 _K'ai padded closer while Li'fal hung back, still crouching towards the ground. "You shouldn't meld with it, Ulihar. We do not know-"_

" _Come to me, K'ai, and look," Ulihar beckoned him, in bondlink and voice. "I will hold it if you wish to touch it, as well?"_

" _Truly?" his small voice came out with a squeak as it cracked from excitement. Kosi crowded closer to his mind as his joy sprung forth from that of his brother's. Both were pleased at his success, proud at his prowess over the long snake's reflexes. Only Li'fal's stormy emotions, tainted the taste of victory with bitter fear and worry._

 _The two of them petted the thrashing reptile as it desperately sought to reverse its course out of Ulihar's grip and back towards the tree. On his first touch, K'ai marveled at the smooth ovoid bumps of its scales - sun-warmed and surprisingly soft. He continued to pet the animal even as Ulihar slipped eagerly into his mind. His brother's eyes fell closed and a groan escaped his lips. "He is so frightened of us. My, I did not think that he would be so scared."_

" _Why would he ever be happy to see something not of this world, Harly?" Li'fal grumbled from the ground. "He probably thinks you mean to eat or maim him."_

" _He does," Ulihar confirmed ruefully, glancing down at the tree cobra's flailing body. "I informed him that I mean him no harm, but he does not listen."_

" _What is it like brother?" Kai's young voice asked in barely suppressed excitement._

 _Ulihar held the serpent lower near K'ai's hands and pushed it towards him. "Touch his mind and see for yourself."_

 _Apprehension filled Adia as a growing sense of foreboding took hold of K'ai's memory. With eager hands he took a hold of the jerking snake. Kosi observed his fear and took on a wariness of her own as Ulihar instructed K'ai's young fingers of how to hold the snake firmly and push into its mind._

 _The snake was still frantic but grew even more crazed at the addition of K'ai's psionic touch. At once, the calm, orderly space of where his mind of his brother had been was swept away and replaced with a maelstrom of white-hot, livid fear. Words were absent for the snake but the emotions, if one could call them that, was clear and blinding._

 _/ Run, Hide, Escape, Captured, Attack, Defend, Run, Fear, Fear, FEAR! /_

 _At the strength of it, K'ai dropped the snake and recoiled backwards, suddenly seized by the panic raging inside his head. Ulihar gasped and Li'fal cursed aloud as the cobra reared up and fastened it's mouth around K'ai's arm._

 _Kosi startled and Adia looked on in horror as K'ai young body pitched forward and screamed in terror. "AH! Ulihar help! Li'Fal! AH! It hurts!"_

 _His body tremored in remembrance of the venom burning through him, icy hot in his veins and engulfing everything in its wake. The snake had long withdrawn his needle like fangs from his tricep but his instinctual urge to run or fight still clawed at K'ai mind, curling him into a sobbing ball of wailing. "Help! Help! Help me! I'm afraid I'm afraid! HELP!"_

 _Li'fal was at his side and grabbing him by the jaw, trying fitfully to quell the turbulence within his head when they heard Ulihar shout. "Look out!"_

 _The mamba had started to retreat in the direction of Li'fal but, when he moved, he once more felt cornered between them. He reared again, sailing through the air towards Li'fal's hand and K'ai's face when Ulihar caught him mid-air, a third of the way down his full length. It had been a lucky catch for them, but an unfortunate move for their eldest brother._

 _The pale snake whipped in his hand and, before he could toss him aside, bit Ulihar around and into his eye. An inhuman screech tore from his mouth as Ulihar pitched the snake down and held his face. Truly moved to aggression, the snake hissed and moved to make another attack towards the roaring male when Li'fal snagged the reptile by its tail and cracked its body like a whip across the ground. He was dead as soon as he hit the soil, his head dashed against the rocky ground. It twitched as the last of it's blood pumped through its racing heart and then became still._

 _Li'fal quickly withdrew his hand with a pained expression and cradled it towards his chest with a shuddering breath. The three of them were lost in their own misery as Ulihar and K'ai fought off the poison and Li'fal tried to rid the touch of the snake's terrifed mind and its bodily reaction of dying._

 _K'ai felt the tiny stomach of his youth purge his meal and shake him violently as his biology worked to preserve him. Ulihar was in a similar state of disarray, hissing and wailing as his eye went from green to yellow into navy then a morbid looking white._

 _K'ai had never seen his brothers cry and never knew that they could until this encounter. It felt more horrid than the snake bite within their bond, clawing uncontrollably at his mind as he sought to avoid them._

 _Li'fal shook himself like a painted dog and growled low and long at Ulihar. "I hope it was worth it, brother! I hope that brief meld of yours, to impress those better left ignored, was worth your eye, my innocence, and K'ai's trust in you!" he hissed pointing angrily._

 _Ulihar stared at him with his good eye but remained silent and panting on the ground. Li'fal rubbed at his hand and furrowed his brows over his golden eyes. "I have never once killed an animal. I believed I never would unless my mate asked me for animal flesh, but your callous disregard for others and consequences of your actions have scarred us all! I sinned against a tenant for you, you logicless Vulcan!"_

 _At that Ulihar, turned on his side and faced away from them in shame. K'ai looked back to where Li'fal was walking away towards the compound then back at his other ailing brother in the dirt. He started to move towards Ulihar when he flinched reflexively from the burning pain shooting down around where he held his arm._

 _Moving it tenderly, K'ai looked down at the gooey looking flesh surrounding the angry green wound. Despite the pain there, the rabid fear of the snake's mind still rattled against that of his own. It felt like the sky and mara were closing in on him. He wanted comfort, he wanted one of his brothers to link with him and help ease his anxiety but, when he tried approach Ulihar again, the older male mentally pushed him away. "Return home, K'ai."_

" _Sa-kai please help me-"_

" _I cannot help anyone. It is because of me you got hurt. Li'fal is right. Return home."_

 _Kosi and Adia hunkered down against him as a bustling tide of sadness buffeted against his younger self. He was ashamed. It was not Ulihar's fault, but his own. He hadn't been strong enough to hold the snake's mind in a state of fight or flight. It was his fault that they were bitten and that Li'fal had to kill the mamba. He was too untried and weak, and feeling of his brothers' discontentment only solidified his conclusion. With the pain in his arm growing, and neither brother to comfort him, young K'ai returned home as ordered and was none too happy about the reception he received._

 _After a thorough lashing from their mother's switch and a mental beratement from their father, Ku'li later pulled K'ai aside. In the dim and fading light of the evening, K'ai's small figure ambled behind father, stepping gingerly over fallen twigs as he fought hard to ignore Ku'li's stern mental focus upon his mind._

 _They came to a stop, his father's brilliant yellow eyes looking down towards his face, studying him. He remembered his illogical wish to have his father express his emotions as his mother did. To feel so much of his disappoint rubbing against him almost felt too much to bare. Perhaps if he expressed them, the burden would be lighter?_

 _K'ai felt his young body flinch as his father reached out towards him, but instead of corporal punishment, as his mother had placed upon his rump, Ku'li placed three fingers at his forehead. It was something less than a kiss but more than a words could express. A simple but loving Vulcan affection. "K'ai. What happened this morning was not your fault."_

 _K'ai's young mind warred with the decision to refute his statement or remain obediently silent. Fortunately, his father continued on, resting his hand gently but firmly at his shoulder. "You may have dropped the snake. And as a result, a number of unfortunate events followed after. However, your brothers are your keepers when I or your mother are not present. It was Ulihar's and Li'fal's duty to you to protect and train you. Ulihar handing you such a creature when you had yet to meld with anything beyond a toad was as irresponsible as it was dangerous."_

 _Ku'li paused and studied his young mind further, deciding something beyond K'ai's comprehension of him. He imparted a tenant of Surak followed by a lesser-spoken quote and a shocking confession of affection. "A spear in the other's heart is a spear in your own. There is no other wisdom and no other hope for us, but that we grow wise. You three are kanlar still and I am grateful that all three have returned to me. Take care, K'ai, to think of your actions before you make them."_

" _Yes father," he said quietly before stealing a look at his face._

 _Ku'li was looking out into the mossy forest of the crater's interior, watching as the canopies above them swayed with the evening breeze. "I implored your mother name you, K'ai (willow tree) when you were born because, out of my three sons, your mind felt the most grounded. Ulihar relies heavily on the movement of his ka'tra, while Li'fal is stubbornly locked within the logic of his own mind. As you grew older, you helped to balance them both. You also helped to balance me."_

The angular face of his Vulcan father melted into the blank, orange backdrop of his mind, before he gently shrugged away Adia and Kosi from his thoughts. And as quickly as it started the meld was over.

The pair of them stared back at K'ai, no longer the small adolescent from his memories but the tall, lithe young adult hunched down in front of them. He turned to Kosi and noted her new demeanor. No longer defiant, she looked thoughtful and awed from what she had seen.

Adia was harder to read. A mix of emotions played over her face when they caught each other's eye. She was so very human but in that moment he hadn't the slightest notion of what she thinking. Idly, he wondered if he should even care. Perhaps not, but whether he should or should not doesn't negate the fact that K'ai did care what she thought of him…

He broke away from her glance and turned his focus back to Kosi. "On this hunt for the healers, it is critical we reach our objective. In this mission your mother is like Ulihar, I am my brother Li'fal, you are me, and your sa-kai is my father. You must take care Kosi to think of your actions before you do them, lest you unbalance us. What accord we do carry between us is fragile and very new. Do not emotionally compromise your brother. He needs you. We need you."

"How do you know that my sa-kai could be distressed? Could you feel my brother as we melded, Osu?"

K'ai swallowed with a nod but held his hand up for silence as both the females opened their mouths for answers. "I felt him but I did not seek him. He was curious of your presence and mine within his mother and sought to link with us."

"Did he see what you showed us? Did he feel the same emotions?" Adia asked, clutching her belly.

K'ai shook his head with a long blink." He was witness to them only through you two, but his young mind did not understand. He is far too young to comprehend such things."

Adia looked down at her stomach and asked him more quietly. "Is he... alright? I don't know since... we do not have a healer."

"He is well but he is lonely," K'ai answered with a small frown. "We should find T'Kaas soon so she can guide you both together in mind again."

At this, Adia visibly paled. " Can't you meld us together? What if we don't find them? What if I need them before then? What if he grows bereaved from my absence?"

"I am able meld you two but it is not done. I have already taken too many liberties. Let us find the healer to do such things with you," he said firmly, shying away from her face.

Adia ignored his avoidance and pressed further. " Yes but until that time I want someone to join us while we search for them. After seeing your thoughts I know Kosi is far too young to do such things. Please? I want to see for myself that he is okay and I want him to feel me in a meld."

K'ai looked down at his feet, trying to find a better point on which to protest when Kosi's small hand closed over his forearm. He nearly flinched at the unexpected touch but, when he felt her respectful request, he paused.

"Please Osu, to help my family. I trust you."

K'ai coughed and cleared his throat before he gave her a brief nod. He was surprised by the wealth of emotion that her simple plea issued forth. Kosi was only a child but, as his charge, her respect and subsequent trust meant a great deal to him. "I will perform the rite for you both. Not as a replacement for your father or your husband, but in his honor and for his memory."

"Thank you, K'ai." And for the first time in many days, Adia actually smiled out of happiness.

It was very pleasant.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: So I'm STILL working on the S/U chapter that comes next on this story but I've been sitting on the next Terra V'tosh chapter because of it. If you want to keep to S/U chapters, SKIP THIS CHAPTER AND WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR S/U, THIS IS ONLY THE K'AI/ADIA prespective. In about a week or so, God willing, I can post the S/U chapter /prays to the fanfic gawd/

Every night before resting, and every morning after waking, K'ai spent one solar hour joining the four of them in a meld. The first few attempts were awkward, with Adia clinging to every sensation created by anyone. Kosi, on the other hand, had taken to being more curious about K'ai rather than her brother. She would regularly attempt to skirt around his barriers to see what else he had been like in his youth only to find him, gently but firmly pushing her away.

To give them a common goal while joined together, K'ai insisted that they spend time observing their breathing while he checked on the kan-bu for Adia.

The baby fidgeted happily under his inspection. He was assured by the presence of other minds beside his own, as K'ai carefully looked him over. He was an enchanting little thing to meld with, conscious yet not fully aware of himself as a being. He was just a collection of needs and the occasional observation - light versus dark, warm versus cold. He found his mother's body cool and wiggled closer to the heat of his hand as K'ai joined them.

K'ai knew that his melding with the trio would have the potential to cause problems in the future but he could not find the strength to deny them. This family needed him to do this, to see them through the mara and deliver them to healers but, even now, he felt his possessiveness of them rising. As unbecoming as the development was, he could not stop it even if he were to stop melding with them. Every day spent foraging for their meals and protecting them on the mara only worsened his condition.

He drew the connection after their seventh meld together. K'ai noted how the kanlar became peaceful at his mind's presence and, with it, his rising urge to claim them as his own children. It was not something he had ever heard of before but, then again, the circumstances of them being fatherless had been rare, indeed.

While Adia mourned her husband as a human woman would, the same could not be said for her children. As Vulcan offspring, they sought to fill Ralek's void with someone who had their well-being in mind, as a best means of survival. It was instinctual. It was logical. It was emotionally disconcerting.

K'ai had already claimed a mate, one with whom he would have his own kanlar to sire and raise. Taking on Adia's children as they would instinctively desire would, no doubt, lead to complications for him romantically.

Adia was a fine woman and one that any male in his right mind would want to mark as his own, but she was freshly-widowed and heavy with child. She wouldn't be looking to some unseasoned male to try and shoulder all the responsibilities she and Ralek handled with raising their family. It would better to start anew with the girl, Saada, as his bondmate... but he had no feelings for her outside of her being comely.

Adia's beauty, in comparison, was far more to his liking. Long legs, wide hips with a disarming smile when she was roused into happiness. Her skin was like thin coffee in its color, with the shade around her eyelids a touch darker. Her nose, was long and narrow in its bridge like the human females hailing from the northern lands but her lips were pleasantly full and plum-colored like those to the west.

Like Spock's wife Nyota, Adia had kept her hair in long braids with some strand sweeping down around her waist. Her skill in dressing her coiffure was nearly equal to his brother's Kibibi.

Yes, all in all, Adia was undeniably lovely. The dainty character of her long figure inspired a stirring within but K'ai had never taken note of these things before. Things like her fetching oval eyes or her generous bust had always been there, but it was as if he was seeing the whole of her, her mind, body and spirit for the first time.

When he first came across the Magabi woman, Adia was very much taken. Mated and cared for, K'ai had no need to inspect her further. As it was, the young sentry was still practicing his logical meditations in preparation for his own mate, a study he was still finding difficult to master.

But then Ralek was killed, Adia and her children were threatened, and all of their lives came falling apart. K'ai's protective urge to preserve what was left of his friend had moved him to take them on as his charges with little thought as to the repercussions.

Now with the melds, Kai's mind was slowly shifting his focus elsewhere. It churned and bucked against his will and sought a logic of its own. The one he claimed had no need of him like this family. They were down and in need, kindred to his kind and depending on him. The more he felt this within the melds, the more it made him possessive of the kanlar, less so of Saada. And even more of Adia.

He held that ignoble fact away from Adia and the snooping Kosi as much as he could for fear of alarming both of them. The pull was certainly alarming to him. Who knew how the grieving family would take it. Only the future gave him comfort in his condition. Soon everything would all be taken care of once he had them safely back at the new settlement. The refuges of their compound would take them in and K'ai would be free of them.

More than anything though, K'ai wished he hadn't bitten her. _The soft give of her skin, the mild warmth of her blood and the scent of her…,_ he sighed, recalling the moment it hit his nose. _Yes, I should not have bitten her_.

Had K'ai known that he would have unintentionally marked her - that in his panic and his need to protect them and reassure her - that he would do something so... embarrassingly _stupid,_ he would have just dragged her and Kosi out of her home kicking and screaming. Instead, he was now haunted by a sad, beautiful human in his thoughts as he slept and in the idle times when his mind went still.

This situation was beyond egregious. Adia was still bereaved, he had already marked one for himself and yet he was, taken with her. K'ai had only set out to be her family's bodygaurd; how had his good intentions turned so sourly against his favor?

His growing regard was shameful...he was shameful and now he was at a loss of what to do.

Thankfully, Adia for her part was no less different in her regard of him. She still teased him, mercilessly in fact. " _You're wet behind the ears, Kay." " There is still milk on your breath, K'goah!"_ and her favorite " _You are too young to be doing anything,"_ followed him in his thoughts as K'ai went about securing their location and food.

The taunting reassured him as much as it annoyed him. Adia did not seem to be afflicted by the same attraction he was under the thrall of. That fact made it easier for him to keep his feelings under control.

She was still grieving, occasionally crying to herself without provocation. It happened most often as she rode astride the antelope while sitting in front of him, but the only thing K'ai could glean from her leaning against him was the comfort she took in him caring for them, and not thoughts of him as either male or a mate. It was well enough, he supposed. If he were to ask her outright for an answer, it did not matter if her reply was positive or negative, K'ai would not find it acceptable.

He cared for her...in ways that he should not.

They had just arrived at the outskirts of Magabi and set up their customary lean-to a league away. Something that none of them had thought to plan out was how to go about inquiring after the Vulcan healer and human shaman with the locals.

For the longest, K'ai had leaned heavily on the statistical likelihood that they would encounter the couple on the road. Adia had been relying on him to think it through while she worked to take better care of herself, and Kosi was a child.

"What do you mean you're thinking about what to do?!" Adia huffed in disbelief. K'ai sat on his haunches, watching the large village on the horizon as Adia raged above him. "You haven't even given it some thought?"

K'ai pulled a small twig of sweet gum from his belt and chewed at it roughly to relieve his growing stress and anxiety. "I have thought on it in passing but not as much as I should have."

"Well... what _did_ you think of, then?"

Removing the stick from his mouth, K'ai drew out his thoughts into the rocky dirt with the woody tip. "I could bring us in close and then search all the houses in the dead of night, using a temporary link between us to alert me if you all are in danger."

Adia worried her lip thoughtfully and rubbed at her belly. "Even if I alert you to danger, what's to say that you would arrive in time to save us from it? Besides, what if they're here now and they leave during nightfall?"

K'ai grunted in acquiescence and circled the other plan sketched out in the sand. "Secondly, we could disguise you and Kosi as Kikuyu family to look for Ikeno. You could say he is your cousin and you are looking for his blessing when it comes to your baby?"

"That could possibly work if this wasn't my home village. No amount of face paint and change in my jewelry is going to trick my own cousins and relatives into thinking I'm someone else, no matter how long I've been gone," Adia sighed.

" They would run straight to my grandmother and they would all try and see what in all the mara was going on."

"Which brings me to my last purposed plan," K'ai said, tapping his stick into the dirt. "We could dress as they do in the lands in the far north and escort you in as my family. I would ask the questions myself and you could do some trading, if need be, for some of the items we have on the antelope. This way I could keep my eyes on you two and you could gain anything you may need. If we have to be out any longer in the bush, I'm sure there are some items that you would prefer to have in your possession."

Adia rolled her eyes with a huff as she paced back towards the antelope with an agitated waddle. " God why do you punish me so, eh? I want to find someone and this one sends me shopping at the market!"

K'ai snorted through his nose like an irritated buck at her accusations but there was Kosi, stepping into her role as peacekeeper. " May I see, Osu?"

" This one will not keep you." K'ai replied with a despondent sigh. It was so hard to keep Adia happy with him that he didn't even know why he tried. It shouldn't have been any of his business to try and do so but...he enjoyed her happiness.

Kosi saddled closer and looked over his diagrams as if she could peer into his mind. She pointed to the last one with a dainty finger and cocked her head towards him in wonder. " How does one dress from the North, Osu?"

K'ai fidgeted on his heels and rocked back to face her, away from the ambling figure of her mother as she continued to bargain with any god who would listen.

" Much like Sydah, with her cloth about her head. There are times when she covers all but her eyes out of devotion to her God. She has said that some men do the same when moved to do so or out in the dunes when the sand is harsh to one's face. If we imitate such fashions none would recognize your mother or us as Vulcan."

Kosi blinked in understanding and loped off to rummage the antelope's saddlebags. Adia paced back towards them as Kosi had just returned to K'ai's side, fixing a long, black shuka around and about his head. Adia sighed at the pair of them as K'ai did the same with Kosi, draping her in a pale cloth of blue. With her permission he maneuvered the thick plaits of her hair over her forehead to hide her eyebrows but show her face.

Kosi was chewing on a twig of her own to clean her teeth and waited patiently for him to be finished. Letting her eyes wander, the girl lifted her chin towards their pack animals. " What of our antelope, Osu?"

K'ai bit the inside of her cheek as he fought to have her hair behave as he wished. " They come with us. Tame as they and their proximity to the village puts them at risk for the humans to pick them off in a hunt. If the humans ask, we answer that we trained them up from fawns, as that is the truth of it. Try not to speak unless necessary, however. We might find ourselves in trouble if we say too much. Lying is not such an easy thing."

" Because it is illogical to do so." Kosi answered automatically, resuming her gnawing of the twig. The pair of them walked over to the antelope and took a few clothes and the only other black shuka K'ai had in his possession.

" Ha. It is so." K'ai agreed. To lie was create a world of figment around yourself and others. One day you might find yourself entrapped or deceived from it.

Squatting down on his heels, K'ai bent himself for the young Vulcaness to fold the fabric into the pattern of a _shemagh_. Her small hands were nimble but it took a few attempts to adequately hide the sharp arch of his brow. Kosi stepped back a bit and looked him over for the fifth time before handing him a bright colored cloth for her. " You have permission to garb me, Osu."

" My thanks." he nodded. He fastened the fabric around Kosi and tilted his head in wonder. She looked so much like her father that it pained K'ai to look at her. He started to dress the material in the fashion of a niqab but later twisted the fabric to frame her face. It was not as tidy-looking as Sydah's al-amira but it was a decent enough hijab.

As he rose up to standing, K'ai cautioned her as they went back to the antelope for more cloth to hide their bare limbs. " Remember Kosi, control your emotions as much as you can but do not hide them from your face. Act as the other children act or I must be forced to cover your face as well."

" I will do as you say, Osu." She smiled at him then as if proving her point and K'ai felt his eyebrows knot together at her expression. It was a convincing show of happiness but it was odd coming from one he knew to be Vulcan. " Very well."

When they each approved of the other's disguise, they turned towards Adia for her opinion. Adia pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head towards the ground. " This is madness. But it just may work."

K'ai felt himself swell at her acceptance and gestured for her to come closer. " Come. Let Kosi dress you and we will be on our way."

Magabi was a sprawling giant of a village with many touches of the Western world upon it. Unlike the nations to the East, whose trade goods came from the lands beyond where the sun was born each morning, these originated from the lands the white men called Europe.

Beads like the ones Nyota used to make her jewelry blazed brightly in the sun in heaps of bushel baskets. K'ai gazed over the merchant's wares in latent wonder. Beige hats and boots were out in front, along with thick, black wheels and various pieces of equipment. He could only guess the purpose of such things or what the black hollow wheels would go to.

As he continued to study the stalls, more goods K'ai found their wares more peculiar. What was their make? Their use and origin? Not for the first time, K'ai wished from Lady Amanda's expertise on the lands and people as they marched into the market surrounding the village's southern border.

They avoided the kids tending to their goats and other chores as best they could but found it to be an impossible feat with the antelope in tow. Most stuck to their duties with their eyes glued to their beasts while a few, brave souls ventured closer for a better look at the bush meat animal.

K'ai was impressed of (and thankful of) Kosi and Adia's composure as they kept their focus on the stalls straight ahead. As he led their small caravan pass the market stalls, they were steadily gaining the attention. Newcomers, K'ai knew, always did but then again, most strangers didn't use bushmeat animals as to ride on or carry their wares.

Kosi's thoughts to their tiny herd came back to his mind but K'ai stayed resolute in his decision. This was a very large and active tribal nations, leaving him with no doubt that their antelope would have been discovered. If they were killed that would leave Adia to travel all the way back to the coast with a baby on foot and him with all their bags to carry.

K'ai huffed and pulled on the lead antelope's reins. Who was he deceiving? He would not leave Adia to walk back if that were the case. If he had to he would carry her back along with the bags. He could do it but with little rest in between and no one else to guard as he did at night, he knew he would have a slow going of it.

It would be best just to ask for Ikeno, fetch him and move on. The longer they were here in this bustling place, the higher their chances grew of being discovered as Vulcans and one of their proffered brides.

As they circled round towards the gate, K'ai absently wondered if Adia ever missed this land. Bright, noisy and full of movement, Magabi had a vibrancy that put the compound to shame. Each vendor was shouting over the other, gesturing with kind words and promises that their wares were worth the investment. Instead of the neat and orderly rows, traders set up their shops to their convenience, finding shade and foot traffic where they could.

 _Too bright, too loud, too energetic._

Drunk on nerves as he was, K'ai had a hard time keeping his composure. The quick, staccato cadence of those who were bartering stung his ears along with the high pitched squeals of younger children running to and fro. And it wasn't just them, everyone was moving and making noise. The buzzing crowd's dazzling clothing hues hurt his eyes to focus on without the aid of his second eyelid.

He dare not even chance the urge to do so. One false flicker and they would make him for a the demon creature they called the Mgeni or spirit-possessed traveler. Ulihar had gotten the latter at times but that could hardly count. His childish elder brother was aiming for that effect.

K'ai walked none too confidently before Adia and Kosi and hailed the approaching men in the language of Sydah's people as fluid as he could. " Peace be upon you."

They answered back easily but still had their eyes trained over the three of them, mostly him as K'ai's tall frame towered over them. " Peace, brother. Welcome to Magabi. Ours is your own. What is it that you need?"

K'ai shifted the reins and signaled the antelope to stop their stride beside him. " My wife is looking for her kinsman and cousin for a blessing. He is a Kikuyu shaman known by the name Ikeno. Has he been by here?"

Silence followed his question as the men openly gawked at their antelope and whispered between themselves. Their curiosity was quelled soon after but not soon enough that K'ai hadn't suffered doubt over his approach.

" No, brother, none by that name or nation has come to pass by here that we know of. Perhaps he is still on his way from the East." The one in the middle answered with a hand on his hip.

The man to his left gestured with his hand at the antelope and carefully extended it. The doe closest to him nuzzled his palm, hopeful for food and snorted dismissively when she came up empty. The men hooted and shook their heads in disbelief. " We couldn't help but notice your arrival from the south and east. Very odd that you should have antelope so docile, like a dog. Who would have known it was possible?"

" You are welcome to stay until your kinsman arrives. You look as if you could hunt fairly well and we would entertain such a provider in our midst." The man in the center answered while the others continued to try and touch their antelope.

K'ai paused over the offer and paled. They could not afford to stay here. Adia was due to birth her kan-bu at anytime but that would spell nothing but disaster in a human village. At the first sight of his pointed ears and brow, they would know them for what they were. And who was to say that Ikeno and T'Kaas were even going to visit Magabi in time to deter such an event from happening?

As he worried over what to say, Adia spoke up from her seat astride the doe. " Ah, husband, what kindness they have in this village but your family waits on our arrival as it is. We should trade as you spoke of earlier and be on our way."

K'ai turned and sighed in relief at Adia's with a nod for affect. " Ah, yes, _Habibti_. You are right as always."

Adia swallowed visible and dipped her face down towards her chest. The men before them laughed and jutted their chins out towards her. " Ah, your bride is covered but anyone could tell that she is blushing from your words." one of them teased lightheartedly.

It was K'ai's turn to swallow the lump in his throat as he forced his face to mirror the men's expressions. For the first time in over 14 seasons, K'ai's mouth broke into a huge, open-mouth grin. He scratched the back of his head as he had observed other humans doing as an excuse to angle his face towards the ground. He didn't need them catching sight of his teeth. " Ah, _Ya Helo_ always fusses at my absent minded decisions but she stays with me nonetheless."

The laugh that bubbled up from his throat afterwards felt unnatural as it did wild. Having his emotions so close to the surface worried his control but maintain it he would.

" I have nowhere else to go." Adia mumbled with a roll of her eyes, setting the men off in another fit of laughter.

" Ah you two are a nice pair. Picking at each other because you like each other so much. Like a couple of lions. Ah but let us not keep you from your family. You will find whatever you need around these stalls here. Peace be with you."

" And with you, brother." K'ai thanked them. He waited until they turned to exhale the breath he was holding. Best to go now and set off for the next village but as he promised, K'ai led the females over to the market stalls.

They only had a few things to barter with and though the items they had held great value. More than once they had been asked to trade for their antelope. The ease of acquiring such fresh, healthy bushmeat was one thing. Just one of their does could feed a clan or two twice over. Most folks, however, wanted the animals for their current use as pack animals. K'ai had only seen a few camels and of those he spotted all had been ill-behaved.

K'ai gently but firmly refused each offer and gave instead them forged plants and his own possessions. Adia fussed over the latter but he wouldn't have her giving what little she owned for other necessities.

His jewelry could be replaced, he reasoned, most likely by his mate. More leather pouches and bone shivs could be made once they were at their new settlement near the shore. What could not be replaced was Adia's comfort during this journey. With only her eyes to peer out behind her scarf, the dark circles bagging beneath them highlighted her weariness.

From his rings, knives and necklaces, K'ai was able to fetch a hearty haul of chapatis, lentils, mangos and bananas. He also traded for comfort items as well. Sweetmeats for Kosi, shea butter for Adia and basket of okra, spices, and tomatoes for stew.

He was working on his last trade, some of his silver earring hoops for a small cooking pot, when he noted the gathering crowd around them. Children and adults alike had taken to petting and feeding their antelope and a number of women had engaged Adia in conversation.

Her eyes shown brightly but he had a feeling of discomfort as the small talk went on. He couldn't see her expression or touching her to know for sure but he felt sure of her worry. It had started with one, elderly lady but had now grown to three with more coming. They asked first after the antelope but now they seemed more curious about her.

" Where is it that you say you are from?" one lady asked, handing Adia a cup of water.

Adia graciously accepted the cup and carefully slips it under the veil of her niqab to drink from it. The women don't disguise their interest in trying to catch a glimpse of her as she does so and K'ai feels his stomach anxiously.

" From the land to the north." she answered blandly, extending the cup back out towards the woman.

" Yes but where? There must be a name to your village? " the older lady presses, taking back the cup.

" You say you all are from the North but we saw you come from the South? How is that so?"

Adia looked between the two and then over to Kosi. The girl was running around, laughing, oblivious to her mother's distress or her own peril. Close at her heels were a group of children, screeching and cheering to the others to catch her scarf.

" Get it! Get it! Let's see her hair!"

K'ai started towards her when she heard one of the women around Adia made a grunt of suspicion. " You seem so familiar. Your...no it couldn't be."

" Her eyes remind me of my cousin...the one who was abducted by-"

A resounding thud from the merchant's table cut the woman's words short and stopped the children in their tracks. K'ai removed his hand from the wood, revealing the gold and porcupine quill necklace of his deceased brother on the table. " The pot. And the others there as well."

He turned to Kosi and morphed his face from blank into stern frustration. " Go to your mother. We have to go."

" Yes, Baba." Kosi answered, with frightening ease. His eyes follow her path all the way to Adia and took some measure of relief. For her, K'ai extended a smile that came surprisingly just as easy as Kosi's lie. " Habibti, we must go if we wish to get to Kiisi anytime soon. The rains will be at our backs as it is."

Again, Adia looked taken aback by his expressions, both verbal and physical. She didn't hesitate however to answer him back and keep their ruse. " Yes, Eini. Let's go."

K'ai hide his face as he felt his face grow hot from something he could not begin to describe. He hadn't know that she knew any of the language Sydah called Arabic and that she could speak it with such...delicacy. She called him a pet name as well, her eyes, making him all the more self-conscious of them. He had heard enough from the women here calling him _mti macho_ or tree eyes from their light hazel coloring. And here Adia was, using the objects of their taunting to say that he was the light of hers.

K'ai picked up his purchase and placed it on the antelope before doing the same with Kosi. Once saddled he grabbed the reins of both antelope and headed towards the west, away from the village and the coast.

The women followed them a ways and called after them still with damning questions about their plans. K'ai turned his expression sour and shooed them away, as best he could. They only stopped following when they had gone a good distance away from the village gates and still stared after them until the sun grew too high in the sky to linger outside of the shade.

K'ai glanced over his shoulder and huffed. " I covered you and still they suspected."

Adia pulled at her scarf to free her face and wrestled around her bag for her waterskin. " You don't know what it's like for them, for us, to worry whether a girl will be taken."

" You do not know what it is like to learn that one day you will have to steal someone to...defile or die."

His voice cracked as he spoke and he immediately regretted, sharing his concern and snapping at Adia's words on the defensive. Her words were true, her logic, quite sound but it didn't sit well with him as he harbored feelings the way he did for her. Vulcan family she may have now but it did not start off that way. She probably thought ill of him outside of his protection for what he said.

She took a drink from her skin and K'ai braced himself as he saw her open her mouth to reply. " There wasn't any defiling on Ralek's part. He...loved me. Just like my nation loved me."

Some words went unspoken out of respect for Kosi's young ears but K'ai gathered her meaning. She had freely given herself to her bondmate and felt now sordidness from it. However her family, friends and neighbors had not so freely given her. The fact that they would still think of her now as she came to them hidden and disguised highlighted it.

" My apologies. You are right that I do not know. I never will."

Adia shrugged her shoulders and looked towards the large fever tree they were making their way towards. " Don't take it so hard, mti macho. You are only Vulcan after all."

K'ai huffed through his nose, while Kosi's eyes mirror the humor that's clearly written on her mother's face. " I much prefer you calling me, Eini."

" And I preferred Habibti but we don't all get what we want now do we?" There's a strange tone to her voice that the young sentry can't entirely place. It sounded too angry to be grieve but too bitter to be sadness. Somehow he didn't think she was lying about her preferences but his use of it in the village had somehow hurt her feelings.

" No. We do not."

He turned his head back towards the trees and sighed down at his feet. He was horrible at the business of tending to these females. Try as he might, K'ai felt he only caused them more harm than good. He wanted to make her happy, humans needed happiness so his mother sad but Adia was nearly always sad. He knew the reasons why but he wasn't just going to stand back and do nothing for her. He lov-

K'ai snapped his head back and forth with a furious shake and coughed. None of that, I will entertain none of that. I know nothing of such things, he thought in frustration as he gnashed his teeth.

He was aware of their eyes on him but he couldn't be bothered. He had to get them back and out of his mind. Their care was consuming him in a way he could not control.

" Why are we heading west?" Adia asked, breaking the silence. Her tone was lighter now, almost apologetic. She had nothing to apologize for he thought dourly.

" We told your kinsmen we were going to Kiisi and Kiisi is to the west."

" That doesn't mean we actually have to go there. There is nothing for us in Kiisi."

" You're right but with as much attention as we drew we cannot be so blatant in our farce. I have odds twenty to one that they will send a party after us if we had just headed east. Going West for a while will help our ruse and only lower our chances of being followed."

" Do you truly think it?"

" I know it. Look behind you."

As sure as rain, Adia spied a hunting party a good ways back behind them, laughing and talking amongst themselves. They didn't seemed troubled or curious about the small caravan in front of them but it was obvious that they left soon after they did from the village.

Adia whipped her head back around and hissed towards K'ai. " What are we going to do? We can't be seen as we are! And we need to head back!"

K'ai walked over to the tree and went to the side of her antelope to let Adia down. Heavy with child she still felt light in his arms as he pulled her down against him to allow her feet to touch the ground. She blinked up at him and quickly away as she goes to steady Kosi down for her dismount.

" First thing we do is eat." he answered pulling free the sweetmeats from his sack. Plopping the small cloth of sweet and spiced nuts into her hands, Kosi shouts with joy in a rapid mishmash of Vulcan and Swahili before running to sit beneath the tree.

Going back to the sack, K'ai fetched another cloth, this time dried dates and handed them towards Adia. " Eat."

She reluctantly took the bag and joined her daughter reclined against the tree's trunk. He walked over and sat back on his heels to whisper more of his plan. " After you get your fill and relieve yourselves, we ride our does hard to the south to shake off the hunters and then over to the east towards Namanga. We must make a wide enough loop to circumvent Magabi's borders but not too large as to travel too close to our traitors in the compound. No doubt they are looking for us. You need not worry, I shall protect you both...all." he amended quickly, thinking of her unborn child's presence.

Adia gave a tired smile and held out a date. " I have no doubt of that...Eini."

She laughed soon after at his grave looking face and huffed that his tawny cheeks looked nearly identical to his hazel eyes.

They did not notice Kosi's eyes looking between them with curious apprehension.

Soon after the hunting party passed them and the sun fell lower in the sky, K'ai loaded them up and led them down to the south and east as he said. They traveled as hard and fast as Adia's body would allow, trying to gain distance allow from Magabi and the compound and over towards the village of Namanga.

Thoughts of S'haile Spock and his T'sai came to K'ai's mind as he wished they had stayed long enough to reach a parlay with the nation. It would have made their search far easier if he could have been able to take Kosi and Adia as they were without a falsehood.

It did not...feel good to lie but the truth would spell anyone of their deaths. Rovock and the rest of his lot had left him and the other vunerable to attacks on multiple fronts. Terrorizing the tribes and nations as he had, no village was going to welcome a Vulcan in their midst anytime soon.

When Adia could go no longer K'ai called them to a halt and walked them over to a promising copse of trees and shrubs. He used the last light of the evening to scout for danger and savored the empty plain surrounding them. Adia used that time to fix a stew as best she could with what they had and settled down to rest. Kosi in turned minded the pot and watched as K'ai constructed a lean-to over her mother.

They sat in amicable silence for the rest of the evening and spoke sparingly as they ate their meal from cleaned out coconut shells.

Adia ate quickly and resumed her sleep just as fast. It worried K'ai that she should be so tired.

 _We have to find T'Kaas and soon_ , he thought, peering down at her face.

" Why do you stare so often at my mother?"

K'ai's eyes fluttered over to the bright eyed face of his youngest charge and stilled. He shifted and opened his mouth, closed it back and huffed. What to say? What to tell?

" I-"

" Do you like her? I see bondmates stare like that at each other but you are not her bondmate."

K'ai shook his head slowly and waited for the young female to follow her line of logic. " No. I am not."

Kosi's mouth twitched and she hummed. " So you like her then?"

K'ai blinked at her frankness and gazed down at the dying embers of their fire. " I...care for her, yes."

Something between the meekness of his delivery and the timid nature of his posture seemed to satisfy Kosi and she cheered at the news. " I care for her too."

K'ai thought to object at her innocent concurring when he shut his mouth and nodded. If she didn't know now and he could escort them both to the new settlement without knowing than it would be for the better.

Kosi scampered over closer and sat a foot apart from him. Running her finger into the dirt, she spoke to him with a question in her voice. " There are many small creatures here."

" Ha. There always are."

She glanced up at his face and back down towards the loud chiming of a field cricket. " Maybe small and safe enough for a meld exercise?"

K'ai's attention snapped from his earlier worry of trying to avoid discussing Adia to muted cheer as Kosi looked up at him expectantly. " Kosi, do you wish to start your _mok farr_ practice?"

Kosi nodded, not trusting her voice and leaned forward with her palm down on the ground in front of her. " Yes. I promise to be careful and choose something small and not dangerous."

K'ai felt his eyes crinkle in amusement as he gazed down at her eager face. Somehow her looking like Ralek did not disturb him now, perhaps because she was entrusting him with something sacred. All at once he felt like something akin to what he thought his brothers or father must have felt at raising him.

" It doesn't have to small but I trust you to find something safe. Let us not disturb your mother's slumber." he said, unfolding his legs to crouch down on all fours. " Did you have an animal in mind?"

At his acceptance Kosi bounced up and down and fought hard to keep down her smile. " Yes, Osu! A cricket or a moth! Though I would meld with most anything."

" Are you certain?" he asked, hold a tree roach between his fingers. Kosi shook her head and held up her hands in surrender. " I am no longer! Please, put it back or far away from us."

He hummed with laughter and went back to searching. In truth it was suppose to be Kosi finding and capturing her own creature but K'ai found himself enjoying the exercise with a beginner's mind.

He had just spotted a centipede when he heard Kosi give a victorious hoot. " I got one!"

" One what?" he asked, sliding over towards her. She slowly parted her palms to reveal a black, bell cricket nervously walking inside.

K'ai hummed thoughtfully and nodded. " That is a good catch."

She made a horribly awkward show of tucking her legs beneath her and sitting down on her rear. " What now, Osu?"

K'ai looked over her hands and gestured towards them. " As gently as you can place your finger on its head...yes, just like that. Now open the space between your mind and his. Breathe."

Kosi closed her eyes and did as instructed, knotting her brows together in deep concentration. After a moment she gasped and betrayed her wonder with a small smile. " His hearing is extraordinary! Everything sounds so...it is like music, Osu!"

K'ai blinked lazily and hummed. " Wait until you listen to the other crickets."

At his prompting, the young girl quieted and made noises of surprise. " Some of them sound...wrong...their songs sound strange."

" Yes, those are different types but crickets nonetheless. What else do you hear?"

Kosi smiled openly then and stilled to listen more. " Well I hea-"

She suddenly dropped the cricket and scrambled towards his side. The small incest scuttled away, back into the grass as Kosi hide behind him. She held his arm and the feeling of her fear hit him like a wall. " Footsteps…!" she whispered loudly.

Adia stirred and looked over to the pair of them, roused from her daughter's fright. " What is it?" she rasped.

K'ai's nostrils flared while his eyes narrowed. " I do not know yet."

He slide Kosi over towards her mother and listened. At first there was nothing but the crickets and song bugs of the night but thing, underneath it all, K'ai caught the sound of irregular thumps. Someone or something was coming towards them.

K'ai stood at his full height and bore his teeth in the direction of quiet, skulking noises. Listening more closely, the sounds were definitely footsteps as Kosi had originally thought but of who and how many he couldn't be certain.

They were downwind, near dark and poor show of power. K'ai rolled his shoulders and put one arm out to keep the family back behind him. Come what may, he would protect them, with his life and to the detriment of others.

"If you are animal you are safe. If you are human, leave now, and if you are Vulcan... show yourself, lest I end you", he hissed loudly.

"Your brother, Ulihar, can't even best me with his spear and you claim you can beat me, young K'goah? I thought we Vulcans could not lie? I would be doubled over in laughter if I were not grounded in my logic. You end me. Illogical."

A darkly-dressed figure stepped out from the bush with an equally-robed female astride a steed. The stranger pulled at his cowl and the niqaab scarf that covered his face. At the sight of him, Adia sighed in relief and Kosi ran to the figure on the antelope beside him. Gracefully lowering herself from the beast, T'Bes unwrapped her face and glanced at Kosi with smiling eyes. "It is good to be back with those familiar to me."

K'ai relaxed his posture and sighed in relief. " Oratt. T'Bes. Very well met."

Oratt held out his hand in Ta'al and K'ai greeted him in kind, briefly touching their fingers together for comfort and assurance.

After the short, glancing link, Oratt looked between them in confusion. " What are the three of you doing out here? Why are you out in the middle of the mara? Where is Ralek? Was he kidnapped as well?

Adia bowed her head, while Kosi held her arm, leaving K'ai to answer for them. " Osu, we are troubled."

Over the course of an hour or so, K'ai gave the other hybrids the news of the compound and of the further betrayal of those loyal to the commandments of Surak and his familial line, the S'chn T'gai.

Oratt remained quiet, thinking over his words and what they changed while T'Bes questioned them further. " Where are Ikeno and T'Kaas" she asked looking at Adia behind him holding her belly.

Adia came around and sat between the males with a small sigh. " We still have not found them. T'Bes it is so good to see you! Are you okay? What happened to you?"

T'Bes slowly exhaled and gazed over at her mate. " It is quite the story."

 _Almost a week earlier in Namanga_

For nearly 6 days and 14 hours T'Bes had remained largely alone. Besides the occasional maid escorted by a warrior to change her chamber pot, food and water, she had only the small wildlife that crept in between the rafters and windows to keep her company.

It was a noisy place, this human village - full of shouting children, fussing women, and a number of raucous males. Everything they seemed to say appeared to be shouted and taken out of context. Their jargon made very little sense to T'Bes, but she did the best she could to try and translate the meanings.

From dawn 'til dusk she heard them milling about from her prison within the village center, going about their business and training to their tasks. Cooking, cleaning, socializing, and herding where all done under a veil of chatter and music. They sang as they wove, they hummed when they beaded jewelry, and they chanted as they welcomed their men back to their bomas.

Everything seemed to have its place and all of the village moved within a collective body for prosperity's sake, but T'Bes' presence seemed to put a thorn in their feet.

It appeared the humans were as divided as the community on the Vulcan compound about what to do about their neighbors. The Vulcaness couldn't be sure about the whole nature of what was spoken. They shouted in a mix of languages she overheard Nyota and Adia talking in, and not that of her dame. Nonetheless, her superior hearing picked up and puzzled over every snippet of their language, using context and the speaker's delivery to decipher their arguments.

Many had been angered by her captive presence, wailing on about bad luck and the wrath of the _mgeni,_ while others called for her blood to be spilled as retribution for all the women raped and stolen over the years. T'Bes met their words with cool acceptance as she had already calculated and prepared for the worse. _Kaiidith_ , she thought solemnly, and listened on over the coming days.

As loud and angry as their voices were, at first, more humans were curious about T'Bes's existence, in general. They had not known that there were Vulcan, or mgeni as they called them, females at all, which raised questions about why they took human women if they had their own. Some suggested that T'Bes only 'appeared' female and might actually have a lok and sakal-sa'haf (a penis and testicles) hanging from her legs and that someone should check to see that she was 'truly' female. After a pointed show of growling and flexing against the ropes, they left her alone.

She did not eat though she was quite hungry. T'Bes growled low in her throat at any man who had come in to serve her meals but kept herself motionless. After a while, they started sending in women and she ignored the females altogether.

They gave her blood and meat to eat, and the vegetables that had chanced their way inside her rations were tainted with the flesh. Instead, she went after whatever they served her to drink. Her stomach, however, would purge the water or milk they gave her every so often, confirming what she already knew to be changing inside her, _growing_ inside her.

She was meditating over the thought of the new life within her when the female, who was collecting her neglected plates of food, spoke.

It was in the round language of Nyota's Maa, and T'Bes still found the vocabulary, as well as conjugation of the verbs, to be confusing.

T'Bes ignored her attempts at communication until she heard something familiar. Swahili, that she rarely heard them speak. Perhaps the woman was from a mixed family? " _Unajua dada yangu, Nyota?_ _Gani yeye kuishi?_ (Do you know my sister Nyota? Does she live?)"

The Vulcaness' eyes shot open and eyed the newcomer curiously. The Swahili she spoke was not like that of her mother's, but it would serve her here. "Nyota is known to me. She lives."

The young woman looked shocked. She probably hadn't seriously expected her to answer her questions back. It was a curious habit T'Bes had observed in humans, to speak aloud but not seek an answer. What purpose did a rhetorical question serve?

The plates of spoiled foodstuffs thumped against the ground as the girl fell to her knees. "She lives? She lives. My God, tell me is she well? Does her _mume_ treat her fairly? What is her life there among you? Slave? Servant?"

T'Bes smoothed her bound hands down the front of her robe and straightened her back. "Spock treats your sister with the utmost respect as his wife and bondmate. She is neither in bondage or indentured. Nyota is a lady of the S'chn T'gai clan, a royal... chieftain family," T'Bes said, choosing her words carefully.

The woman was still for a 15 seconds while mulling over the news. T'Bes was in no rush and actually welcomed the companionable silence. She could feel _him_ seeking her out, had been feeling her _mume's_ mental touch since the day they took her.

Oratt had been far away, but they pull at each other through their bond. He followed her mental link like a flowerhead followed the sun. He was coming and she would be here waiting. Curious of the girl's identity, T'Bes gestured with her tied hands, "What are you called, so that I may bring news of you to your sister?"

"Goma... Bring news?... What are you talking about? You're not free to go!? I'm just here to clean up and give you new food. If I freed you, I'd be shunned from the village and -"

"Your assistance is not required. My bondmate comes for me," she replied evenly. "He comes for us."

At that, the girl named Goma tilted her head and made a gesture by touching her midsection. "You? You are…"

"With child, yes."

"And your...bondmate? Is coming for you? What is a bondmate?"

T'Bes blinked with smiling eyes and tilted her head towards the knowing tug she felt growing tighter in her mind. "You will find out soon enough."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Three moran sat back on their haunches, chewing sweetgrass as they chatted shoulder to shoulder. The day was well into its afternoon, with the sun high overhead. They argued in favor of staying there on the crest of the hill or finding an escape from the heat underneath a tree.

It was a welcome respite, what with all the talk about their captured _mgeni_. Try as they might, their conversation soon devolved back to the shapely demon.

"She has not eaten since we retrieved her, how much longer do you think she will live?" one pondered aloud.

The eldest in the middle sighed and scratched at the whiskers lining his chin. "I would not suppose much longer, but _mgeni_ folks come from the stars. There's no telling if we're even giving her the right food."

The moran to the elder's left clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and made a noise of disgust. "She is big enough to survive one moon and possibly more. After what her kin did to my cousin, I could care less what happens to that she-devil. Maybe if she were satisfying her men, they wouldn't go out hunting our women for brides and pleasure."

The other two elders hmm'ed and haa'ed in agreement over the violence wreaked upon the third elder's family, before the moran to his right countered his words softly. "Yes, but perhaps if we free her on the plea that she entreats her brethren to leave us be, and take the offspring that will be born to those they attacked, we could have a true peace between us, finally?"

The third spat on the ground with a sneer and roughly chewed at the stem of his grass stalk. "True peace? Ha! I think not. How can we have true peace when there is no justice for our women and fallen warriors? Do you forget Asa and the junior warriors so quickly?!"

The other two moved to calm the outraged warrior but goes on speaking with his mouth and his hands. "Can we move on as if nothing happened? Don't you notice our women won't leave their huts at night? Refuse to even travel to the market in groups of five hands? One cousin was already grieving her lost sister and now she screams through the night about _mgeni_ men that look like us but not like us, forcing her into womanly rites."

The warrior spat again at the ground and cursed the starfolk as harshly as his language would allow. " Even now she talks about feeling haunted inside her head by one of them, like she can still feel him beside her. She's scared that he and the others will come back for her, and I'm supposed to summon up a peace _I_ do not feel for these beasts?! Asa wouldn't have let my cousin suffer without seeking to regain her honor!"

The elder turned towards him with his yellow eyes looking glassy as he took him in. "What in God's name are you proposing?"

" A war." a voice answered behind them. The three morans rushed to their feet and turned to find one of the strangest sights they had faced. There, in broad daylight, mounted on a massive kudu sat a mgeni male. He was plainly dressed in dark robes and a scarf about his head, in the same manner as men from the north. True to the rumors, the frightful demon's face hide all his emotions but something about his posture astride the antelope spoke of his displeasure. " You have something of mine."

All too slowly, the men returned their shields and spears and shouted a warning. " Away from here! You are not welcome here!" the youngest shouted, spitting in fury.

The mgeni dismount and drew a sling shot of weapon out from his pocket along with a foul looking dagger. " I did not expect to be, human but I will not leave without my wife."

The eldest among them shifted from side to side with nervous energy as he sought to calm the both of them down. " What are you talking about, mgeni? The female?"

At the mention of a female the male, cocked his head to the side and growled just a deep as a leopard. " She is mine. Your people have her. Give her to me and we will be on our way."

"I told you no good would come from keeping her! I told you." the men beside the youngest hissed. He was shaking horribly and darting his gaze from the Vulcan's face back to his strange weapons. " Doomed and damned! We should have sent her back with the mgeni that brought her. Ngai forgive us for keeping her! Ngai keep us!"

" Shut up, coward!" the youngest shot back at him raising his weaponry. He turned towards the mgeni and sneered as best he could. " You have to answer for you and your kind's crimes. You monsters-"

" We are punishing those of whom you speak for what they have done, at this very moment at my homestead but I only came for my wife. Give her to me and we shall be in our way." he pressed again.

" I would not give you my dog's shit _mgeni_! If you want her demon, then you have to go through me and the rest of us, lion man!"

Oratt lowered his chin to his chest and sneered at the young warrior from beneath his brow. " I did not come here for peace or for war. I come for my bondmate and her alone. She comes home with me whether you wish it or not. If you want peace I grant me unhindered passage. If you desire a fight, so be it."

The young warrior reared his spear, preparing to attack when the eldest flung himself in between the two. " Your fight will get us nowhere, Jela! Put your spear down!"

The young warrior glared back at the two of them, clearly wounded by the old man's words and shook his head angrily. " Get out of the way, Kobe. We need to protect the village from the mgeni!"

The old man stepped forward and lowered his shield solmenly. " What is it that you think that I am doing?! We can't beat this creature and you know it? And if we did, what then? You have no plan to win against them and no sense to try and brook peace with them."

" The Maasai do not make peace with enemies! They drew first blood and continue to let our blood! Our women-"

" Will not benefit from your brief moment of heroism." Kobe said bitterly. " I like it no more than you do but your greatest mind and asset is your mind. We have been troubled with what to do with the mgeni female for nearly a quarter of a moon and her is her mume here to fetch her with no more arguement than to give him safe passage to do so."

" So you would just let him take her then?" the other warrior asked, studying the Vulcan out of the corner of his eye.

" No because that's just one edge of our spear, Moyo. We have something that he wants and he has something to offer as well." he smiled turning around to face the pale, amber-eyed creature. " Mgeni, we need assurances that we are safe from your kind."

The Vulcan nodded and pocketed his weapons. Kobe sighed in relief and elaborated. " It use to be that you would cull our women away, then you all set yourself to terrorizing the ones still here in the village. I can say as an elder that we can barely tolerate the former but the latter is as Jela says. We cannot and will not stand for it, weaker or not."

The pale mgeni blinked at them thoughtfully and replied a moment later. " I will accompany you to your village and swear an oath before you all that we will make concessions and have you a part of the punishment of the Vulcans that rose against you."

" Voolkhans? Is that what you are?" the man called Moyo asked.

" It is." the mgeni assured him. Turning to face the warrior Jela, the mgeni man took a knee and knelt before him. " I ask for forgiveness on the transgressions of my former kinsmen. As Captain of the guard for my people, was my responsibility to root out such foulness. However, I beg that you do not allow my mke to take the blame for their sins. The crime is not hers and I would not at all relish harming you to secure her. Please understand my duty to protect her and to also...protect you from us."

Jela looked at the bowed head of the mgeni to that of his spear and back again. Kobe paled and Moyo opened his mouth to protest when the young moran through his spear down. " Get up and let us collect your wife, Voolkhan. Your people and mine have much to discuss."

K'ai blinked over the tale while Adia smiled back at T'Bes. Kosi, who was still up and bleary eyed asked after the solution. " So you got T'Bes and then what."

Oratt accepted a few rounds of chapati from Adia and gave half to T'Bes, so they could sop up the rest of Adia's okra stew. " We set up a time to come back with S'haile Spock and T'sai Nyota to discuss changes in our people's interaction. By the next full moon."

T'Bes neatly tore at the soft flatbread and nibbled a piece with apparent contentment. " We shall use the transmitter the Vulcans of our homeworld left behind to contact them and wait for them to come back. At least that was what we were going to do."

K'ai grunted in agreement and handed her his waterskin. " We cannot do it yet but after we get you, Adia and Kosi to our resettlement, Oratt and I can try to penetrate the compound and retrieve the device."

Kosi frowned just as deeply as her mother and Adia spoke in protest. " That only leave you a little less than 26 suns?"

Oratt sighed deeply and narrowed his eyes up at the moon. " Then we have to use our time wisely."


End file.
